Entangled Hearts
by FanGirl0207
Summary: <html><head></head>Lance is a man with secrets, and Steven is a man who is trying to figure out what is it that he really wants. The two have nothing in common, yet why does it seems that they're attracted to one another? Neochampionshipping. Lance x Steven. Yaoi. Minor pairings mentioned. Rated M for later chapters.</html>
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hey guys, FanGirl0207 here presenting you with a new neochampionshipping fic. This is my first time writing something related with HIV/AIDS and I know very little of the lifestyle of those who are infected, so I apologize beforehand for any inaccuracy that might appear later. **

**And if you do spot any inaccuracy, please feel free to drop a review.**

**And if don't spot anything, drop a review anyway! **

**Now without firther ado, please read onward!**

**Part 1**

Lance inwardly sighed as he gazed at his best friend with dead-bored eyes. He propped his chin with his left hand, while his right hand absently played around with an empty pokeball. He watched as his friend's mouth moved and produced words, but nothing register in his mind since his boredom alarm was ringing too loudly. He was bored, and everything that came out of Morty's mouth were craps. He wondered for a moment why Morty couldn't keep his mouth shut, but then he remembered that it was he who asked the GYM Leader about his latest holiday in Oblivia with his boyfriend, Falkner.

_Well, one's got to live with the mistakes he made._ Lance inwardly sighed once again and pretended to look interested. It was never his intention to ask, but the conversation was going that way anyway, and so it wasn't like he had a choice. Morty and Falkner started dating a few months back, and they are the kind of annoying lovey-dovey couple who will jumped at the chance to recount their love story to almost anyone.

Lance would love to tell them how little he cared about their holiday, but he doesn't have the heart to hurt his best friend's feelings. As far as he's concerned, Morty is the best lover-turned-friend he ever had, and that knowledge is enough to make him man up and just suck it up.

"So then, how about you?" Morty finally asked after he finished telling his story. "Do you have someone you're interested in at the moment?"

Lance shook his head, "No."

Morty observed him for a moment, "Lance, I don't mean to pressure you or anything, but... Come on, it's been three years ever since we broke up, and you haven't found anyone else ever since. Do you want me to help you find someone?"

Lance gazed at him, his eyes much more focused this time, "No, thank you... I've had enough of relationships, Morty. I just want to be alone for now. Beside, I'm only twenty-seven, what's the rush?"

"You've been alone for three years, isn't that enough?" Morty sighed. "You're making me feel kind of bad here... I know that I was an ass-"

"No, not going there," Lance raised his hand to make him stop, and Morty closed his mouth. Lance sighed and looked at his ex in the eyes, "It has nothing to do with you, okay? I tried it again after we break up, and you know what happened already."

"You know, it would be so much easier for me if you just blame me already," Morty groaned, "Come, say it! Say that your commitment issue started because of me, go on! I'm a man, I can handle it!"

Lance sighed as he rose from his seat, "I'm out of here."

"Oi, Lance, wait up!" Morty quickly pulled out his wallet and left a huge amount of bill on their table before running after him. He caught up with him soon, and quickly caught him by his arm, "Lance, don't get pissed, okay? I'm sorry if I pushed you too hard."

"Let it go, Morty, my issues has nothing to do with you..." Lance sighed. At that moment, he understood why it's so hard for lovers to turn into friends.

"You weren't like this before we broke up," Morty pointed out. "You used to be more... Optimistic."

They walked down the road of Ecruteak City in silence. Several shop owners and citizens greeted their GYM Leader as they walked by, and Morty returned the greeting with some witty remarks or a bright smile. Nobody paid any attention to their moody companion. When they finally approached Morty's GYM, Lance turned to look at his friend again.

For a moment, they just stared at each other, and by each passing moment, Morty grew more and more anxious.

"Lance..." he gently whipered, "Is something wrong?"

Lance stared at Morty with a conflicted look on his face for a moment, as if he was struggling with his inner demons. Finally he closed his eyes and murmured, "Morty I..." he abruptly paused, and took in another deep breath. Finally, he shook his head and said, "Never mind, I'm gonig back to the League. See you next time." He patted him on his shoulder and turned around to walk away.

Morty, however, quickly caught him by his arm. "You're not going anywhere without telling me anything! Why are you acting like this? You're scaring me!"

For a moment, guilt flashed through his heart. It was never his intention to scare one of the few people he cared about. However, the guilt was quickly consumed by fear and uncertainty.

"Come inside," Morty's voice softened. "And tell me what's going on?"

Lance pulled his arm away and shook his head, "You wouldn't understand..."

"I've been around you for four years, what is it that I wouldn't get?" he sounded more and more anxious with each syllable. "Please," he begged, "I have to know."

"Morty, I..." his voice trailed off as doubts returned to him, but then he decided that he would find out sooner or later anyway. And so, bracing himself, he blurted out the truth, "I got the HIV."

Morty didn't believe his hearing at first. He thought it was a mistake on his part, or Lance was probably just joking. However, he saw the tensed look on his friend's face, along with the pain and sadness Lance would probably never admit is there. "Oh, Lance..." he took a step forward and pulled his friend into a big embrace. He didn't care if anyone else was looking, he just wanted to comfort this man.

Lance weakly returned his embrace, somewhat relieved that he finally told it to someone.

Morty pulled away and said, "Let's talk inside, shall we?"

Lance shook his head, "I've got work."

"Fuck your work."

And without another word, Morty took him by his wrist and pulled him towards his GYM.

X

"The tests came back positive some time ago," Lance grimly recounted as he stared at cup of coffee sitting on the table before him. "Did it thrice in three different place, all of them sent back the same result..."

Morty grabbed Lance's hands and squeezed them tight. "It's alright... It's going to be okay. I know someone else who contacted the virus. I may not know much about the details, but as long as you're taking your meds and adopt a healthy lifestyle, you're going to be okay."

Lance smirked, his eyes still looking downcast, "That's what they all told me."

"Did you see to doctor? Have you buy your medications?"

Lance weakly nodded, "Yeah, I have..." he took in a deep breath, and dared himself to look at Morty. "I'm sorry, I... I didn't want to bother you with this... It's just that..." he paused to blink back the fears and tears, he didn't want Morty to see him looking so vulnerable. "I just need to get it out of my chest."

"Lance!" he scolded, "I'm your closest friend! You should have told me something as important as this the moment you got the result!"

Lance hesitated, but finally uttered the words he rarely used, "I'm sorry."

Morty sighed, "Who else knew about this?"

"No one," Lance replied. "Just you."

"Who infected you?"

Lance looked somewhat reluctant to answer, but he finally said, "I can't remember... I slept around, okay? I haven't been in my right mind ever since..." his voice trailed off.

Sympathy quickly surged through Morty's veins. Lance didn't need to finish his sentence. Morty knew what happened. It wasn't made public, and aside from the people from Lance's family, only he knows what happened. Lance had been disowned from his family for being gay. His family all shuts him out, and he was forbidden to return to Blackthorn. What's worse, they even took Dragonite away from him. Morty had never felt angrier toward someone he never met. The head of the Dragon Clan has got to be the biggest asshole in the world.

"And now you got the disease..." Morty concluded.

Lance tried to laugh, but it was awkward and tense. "Yep, that's my life..." he picked up his cup and downed the content in one go. "I went for a regular check-up though, so you can say I was a bit lucky... They said the sooner you treat it, the better chances I have to survive it."

"Dear Arceus," Morty sighed as he walked behind Lance and embraced him from behind. He kissed Lance on his cheek and said, "Don't worry, no matter what happened, I'm always going to be by your side, okay? If anything happens, don't hesitate to tell me, I'll drop off everything that I'm doing and come to the rescue."

"Even if Falkner's getting down on you?" Lance teasingly asked.

Morty nodded with no hesitation, "Even when he's down on his knees before me." He smiled, "You're my friend. And my first love. You'll always be special to me."

Lance grabbed Morty's hand and closed his eyes, "Thank you..."

And for a moment, he let go of all the burden in his heart, and breathed in the comfort and warmth which he hadn't felt in a very long time.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Here's the second chapter! I'll keep updating until I ran out of plot bunnies, so... Enjoy while it last!  
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**Part 2**

They have been going out for three years now.

Three years isn't a short time, Steven knew, and in those three years, he and Cynthia have gone through many things together as a couple. They spent Valentine together, Christmas in both their hometowns, and new years in the comfort of each other. Their relationship is smooth and calm, there are no rough edges. Everyone looking would also agree that their relationship is perfect.

Cynthia is a great girlfriend, a pleasant company, and a very intelligent woman. Even though she can't cook, it always amuse him whenever she tries, and when the lightning flashed outside their window, it entertains him to hug her and feel the tremors throughout her slowly calm down.

However, even after those three years, he could never shake off the feeling that something isn't right with the whole picture.

"So, when are you going to propose to her?" Wallace, his best friend, suddenly brought up the question when they were hanging out in the league's lounge room. It was late in the evening, and they were waiting for Winona and Cynthia to finish some business before the four of them can go grab dinner.

Steven was nonetheless surprised by the question, "I never really consider proposing her..." he honestly replied.

"You guys have been together for, like, four years?"

"Three," Steven corrected.

Wallace nodded and continued, "And you're not thinking about proposing her?"

"No, I don't think I'm ready for something like that."

Wallace stared for a moment, "You like her, right? Why wait any longer? I think she's perfect for you. You two share a lot in common, and you're living under the same roof already! Why are you still waiting?"

"Marriage isn't something we all should rush into just because we get along with one another," Steven pointed out as he gazed out of the window, towards the grand view of Evergrande city painted orange with the light from the setting sun.

"It's not something you should postpone for too long either... You can't keep her waiting forever, Steven. Otherwise she'll get tired of waiting and move on to another man."

Steven glanced at his best friend, and then asked, "What about you and Winona?"

At that question, Wallace smiled, "As for me, I'm already starting to consider our future together seriously."

Surprised by the revelation, Steven turned his gaze towards his friend again, "What?"

Wallace blushed, and he looked away from Steven's prying gaze. He let out a chuckle and said, "I think... She's the right one for me." He smiled fondly as he continued. "I haven't decide on a date yet, but... I want to propose her before this year ends."

"You've been together for only a year," Steven couldn't keep the disbelief out of his voice.

"Yes, I know that," Wallace sighed, "But... I couldn't stand the thought of having to live my life without her. She's the right one for me, Steve, I knew it. And do you ever get that feeling, when..." he made a gesture with his hand that Steven couldn't recognize. "When you met the right person, and you just feel like... You never want to let her go?" he looked even more embarrassed than before, even though there was nothing to be embarrassed about. They have best friends ever since they were young.

"No, I don't think so..." Steven admitted.

"Well, I got that feeling," Wallace said. "And... I want to make her mine. I want to marry her."

Steven studied the man before him for a moment. He has nothing to say against their relationship, to be honest. Winona is a nice woman, and Wallace is a nice man. Both of them gets along well, and even though they often argued over some trivial matters, one or the other would back down and then they will make up again. There's nothing wrong with their relationship, none at all.

"Good for you then," Steven offered him a smile. "Have you bought the ring?"

"No, not yet," Wallace's face colored again. "I haven't decide on the right one."

Steven was about to say more, but then the door was swung open, and the ladies entered the room. They acted as if they've never discussed the matter, and then the four of them went out for dinner together.

X

Cynthia is an independent woman. She never asked anything from him. Anything which she can do by herself, she will do without bothering him. Any problem she's facing, she face it by herself. She never confides in him, and he sometimes wondered if their relationship would stay like this. It's not that he mind, it's a good thing that Cynthia is being independent, but there's a small part of him that yearns to be useful for her.

"This is unacceptable!" a woman's voice shouted out loud.

Steven stood frozen before the conference room door, his hand hovered on the handle. The monthly Champions' meeting was going to be held in that room, but why was Cynthia screaming? Did he mishear it? No, that can't be right, he recognized that voice all too well by now. His alarm rang, and he swung the door open. One can only imagine the shock he received when he saw his lover standing face to face in what seemed to be a murderous-glare face-off against Lance.

"What is going on?" he turned to look at Alder and Diantha, who both stood at the sideline watching, fear clear in their eyes.

"I'm not so sure either, I just arrived and they were arguing already," Diantha said.

"No!" Cynthia yelled, "No, you listen to me, you disrespectful jerk!" she was so angry and her words were so fierce that the venom was palpable in the air. "I work hard everyday to make sure Sinnoh and its citizen are safe! I have sweated blood to suppress Team Galactic's movement in Sinnoh! And you're telling me I'm a horrible Champion? You're telling me that I have been doing nothing? Don't you know how hard it is to work alone and keep them under control?"

"They are not supposed to be in Kanto!" Lance growled back. "It is your job to make sure that does not happen! But what the fuck did you do? Why the fuck are they in Kanto? You're working hard? Don't fuck around with me! I work fucking day and night to make sure Team Rocket's influence doesn't spread to your fucking region, and they're fucking double the size of Team fucking Galactic!"

"You can't compare them just like that! Team Rocket is a bunch of idiots!" Cynthia raised her voice louder than before. "You have it easy because they're stupid!"

Lance lowered his voice into a threatening hiss, "Are you suggesting that you have it harder than me even though Team Galactic is half the size and works on half the budget? Do you have any fucking idea how massive Team Rocket is?"

"That's enough!" Steven finally decided to stop the madness. He quickly came in between those two, while giving his back to Cynthia. He placed his hand on Lance's chest and pushed him away from his girlfriend. "Enough fighting, please," he said it out loud enough for them to hear over the sizzling rage. "I'm sure you two can discuss this properly and figure a way out instead of blaming one another like kids."

"I didn't start it! That jerk did!" Cynthia growled.

"Woman, all I'm asking you is to deal with Team Galactic in Kanto. Is that too much to ask? How the fuck did you become a Champion in the first place, huh? How many times did you have to suck the President's cock to be able to come up here?"

That was a disgusting blow, and Steven knew it. Before Cynthia reacted violently to those words, he turned to Lance, grabbed him, and punch his across his face. His hit was strong enough to send the taller man staggering backward. Steven heard the other gasped in surprise, but he paid little mind. He did the right thing.

"I'm sorry, it's not my intention to disrespect you," Steven said, calmer than anyone thought possible, "But those are some nasty words to say to a woman, don't you think?"

Lance took a moment to regain himself. The hit was strong enough to cut the inside of his mouth, and when he wiped the corner of his lips, he found blood on his skin. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly turn to look at Steven's hand. They were, thankfully, clean. Slightly bruised, but not a single drop of blood on it. He let himself breath out in relief.

"Yeah, those were pretty nasty," Lance smirked as he glared at the man. "But for someone who couldn't do her job right, I'm sure she deserves it." He pressed his cheek and slightly winced at the pain, "You've got some balls..." he commented, "And here I thought you were a coward who hides behind his woman."

Those words struck something inside of Steven, but he ignored it. He was provoking him, and Steven was determined not to turn this into something ugly. Thankfully, the President of the league entered the conference room at that moment, and was ready to start the meeting.

"I'm sorry for being late, Champs," the old man said, "I got caught up in something, now please take your seats so we may begin."

They all reluctantly complied, except for Lance, who headed for the door instead.

"Lance, where are you going?" the President asked.

"I'm skipping this meeting, got something more important to do," and with that, he left the room.

Cynthia sat down next to Steven and kissed him on his cheek, "Thanks for standing up for me."

Steven rubbed his sore hand and said, "You're welcome."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Still alive, and still typing. Hope you guys enjoy this!  
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**Part 3**

Lance felt the inside of his mouth with his tongue, and he winced slightly when the stinging pain returned. He cursed as he bent down to drink the water from the sink with his hands. He gurgled the water in his mouth for a moment, before he threw out red water into the sink. Lance had to admit that he did say some pretty nasty words, but who the fuck cares? He got enough shit in his plate, and Cynthia only added more by being so difficult.

"Fucking glad I'm gay... Women are insufferable..." he murmured to himself as he wiped his lips with the sleeve of his outfit.

When he was finally done rinsing out all the blood, he looked at his reflection on the mirror to check out for more blood. When he was certain that he cleaned up properly, he exited the bathroom and began making his way to the infirmary. He needed to get some ice for his cheek, and probably some painkiller for his persistent headache. The medication he takes everyday apparently has a side-effect, and even though the doctor said he will get used to it in a month or so, he still found the pain to be disturbing.

Part of him wondered if the side-effects also include short-tempers, since he never quiet blow up in front of Cynthia, or anyone else, like that. However, he then decided that Cynthia was at fault for being so unreliable. The young doctor in the clinic did not question him much about his injury, and she gave him the painkillers he needed when he told her about his headache and nausea.

Lance exited the place with an ice pack pressed against his cheek and headed back to the living quarters provided for the Elite Fours and Champions. There were a lot of rooms there, most of them barely used, but Lance had taken one of them this morning. As he was heading to his room, however, he came across a familiar face.

Clair stared at the figure of her cousing for a moment, before she walked over to him and said, "What the fuck happened to you?"

Lance smiled at the presence of one of the few people he still cared about, but quickly winced when the action brought with it pain. "Got hit."

"By who?" she sounded angered.

"Steven."

"For what?"

"I called his girlfriend the President's cocksucker."

Clair blinked once, before she finally said, "You fucking deserve it, you cunt!" she exclaimed. "If you're not my cousin, I would've hit you again for insulting Cynthia like that!"

"Why is everyone worshipping her?" Lance rolled his eyes.

"She's a fucking female Champion who prevailed despite all the fucking gender discrimination shit, hell yeah I worshipped her!" Clair declared.

"The bitch can't even handle Team Galactic properly," Lance grumbled.

Clair flinched at the mention of that name. She paused, but then carefully asked, "You were arguing with her because of that?"

"Well, of course," he frowned. "Team Galactic is her responsiblity as much as Team Rocket is mine. She's not doing her job properly."

"Haven't you heard?" Clair asked. "It was a false alarm."

Lance's eyes widened in disbelief. He stared at his cousin for a moment, wondering if she was joking. However, he knew Clair, she would never crack a joke. "What?"

"Yeah, it was a false alarm." Clair shrugged. "Erika saw the recruitment poster in her town and called you up about it, right? Well, I went to investigate this morning, and apparently, it was the work of some teenage kids. They were making this book club, you see, and their book club happens to have the same name as Team Galactic."

The fight he had with Cynthia flashed through his eyes, and with it, came guilt. "Well... Guess I owe someone an apology..." he muttered weakly.

Clair smirked and smacked his shoulder, "You'd better apologize, or I'm going to personally make you do it."

"Fuck," Lance groaned as he pressed the ice pack harder against his cheek, "Erika..." he hissed her name spitefully.

"It's true that she should've checked before calling you," Clair mused, "But you're the Champion, it's your duty to double check!"

"As if I have time for that," Lance grumbled, "Arceus, she's not getting away with this."

"Hey, you don't have to punish her or yell at her or anything," Clair tried to reason out with him. "She did the right thing by reporting it to you."

Lance shook his head, "Fuck, this is so fucked up..." he murmured.

"Relax, I think Cynthia will forgive you after a slap or two," Clair smirked again, somewhat amused by the way things turned out.

"I need to lie down..." Lance finally concluded and made his way towards the room which he had taken this morning.

Clair followed him close behind.

It has been months ever since he last spoke to her. The last thing they said to one another was a promise to keep in contact despite the clan's disapproval, and since then, they haven't really hang out or do something together like they used to. Their conversation mostly were online, and they were mostly brief. Clair gave him news of his Dragonite, but it was the same thing every time he asked; they haven't let his Dragonite out of its pokeball.

It pained him to think that his friend has to endure the captivity while he was out there freely walking about. Damn them. Why do they have to take Dragonite away from him?

When they reached his room, Lance walked inside and laid down on his bed. Clair closed the door behind her and laid down beside him.

For a moment, they were both silent, but then Clair finally asked, "How have you been doing?"

"I'm doing fine..." he muttered in reply as he closed his eyes.

"You looked rather unwell though, is anything bothering you?"

Lance fell silent. He hesitated between telling her the truth or not. It's not as if he never considered telling her; he did that often, almost every night before he went to bed, ever since he found out about the virus in him. A part of him knew that she would not leave him, but another part of him also knows that he's going to disappoint her. In her eyes, he was the mighty, brave and responsible older cousin she always looked up to. What about now? Well, he got a dangerous STD, of course the knowledge was enough to shatter her image of him.

"Lance?" Clair asked again when the silence stretched on for too long.

"Clair... I..." he sighed and said, "I got the HIV."

For a moment, there was silence again. However, Clair quickly shot up in the next moment and looked down on him with shock written clear on her face.

"You got what?"

Lance took in a deep breath, "HIV, Clair..."

Clair was silent for a moment, and Lance thought she was going to leave in disappointment. He felt a little bit hopeful when Clair asked again, "How?"

"I didn't handle parting with Dragonite well, and so I slept around," he spoke out the lines which he had been reciting over and over again for the past few nights.

"Without using condoms?"

The question was unexpected, but he nodded, "In the heat of the moment, I forgot..."

"You are a fucking idiot!" Clair finally rose out of the bed and exclaimed loudly. "How can you forget about condom? Weren't you the one who teach me about safe sex?" she was upset, it was clear in her voice.

Lance opened his eyes and sat up, ready to face whatever harsh words she might throw at him. "Look, this isn't easy on me either, okay?"

"You're so fucking stupid!" Clair yelled. "Have you went to the doctor?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"What did she say?"

"She said I need to take meds to prevent the virus from replicating. She also warned me about being careful not to get my blood or semen in anyone."

"Arcues," Clair inhaled as she turned away from him and walked over to the window overlooking the league garden. She folded her arms and stood there motionless for a moment.

"I'm sorry I let you down," he said. "I... I know I'm an idiot..."

There was no reply, she just stood there, not moving. He watched her back, and soon enough, her shoulder began to tremble, and an unmistakably soft sob rang throughout the room. He was stupefied, but he knew that he needed to go there and see for himself. It's not like everyday Clair would cry like the girl she is.

"Clair," he spoke her name softly and placed both of his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry."

She sobbed louder this time, not attempting to hide it anymore. She wiped the tears off her eyes, and finally spoke with a shaky voice, "She got it too, you know... That girl who lives with his grandmother in the candy shop..."

Lance quickly recalled the face of the girl Clair was referring to. He knew her, they spent their childhood together. "Cece..." he murmured out the nickname which was so familiar to his tongue. "She... She got it too?"

Clair sadly nodded, "A couple of years back... She was raped," her body shook again with what he now identified as anger and sadness. "Four men got her, when I came back from my journey, I was told that she..." she shook her head "She changed, you know... She was so thin and weak and fragile. I visited her the next day, I called her name, but she wouldn't respond... She was... Really sad and alone... Her grandma died a year before the incident, and even though she tried her best to hold on... She..." she wiped the tears again. "She didn't manage to pull through... The loneliness, the sadness... It was too much for her..."

He tightened his grip on her shoulder.

"They left her," Clair finally looked up at her cousin with her teary eyes. "They acted as if she didn't exist. She was dying, but nobody helped her... You know what they say? They call her a whore, a slut. They said she deserved it. They treated her like an... Abomination."

"You.. Wouldn't treat me like that... Would you?" he carefully asked.

Anger flashed through her eyes, but it wasn't directed at him. "Of course I wouldn't! You're like a brother to me! I would never let something like that happen to you!" she said.

Lance smiled and patted her back, "Then I'm glad to have you on my side... I really am..."

"Well, I'm going to be the least of your worry," she murmured, "What about others, Lance? What would they say when they found out? I'm worried about you..." she sobbed again. "What if they did the same thing to you? What if they desert you and treat you like something dirty?"

"Clair, I don't care," he told her as he looked at her in the eyes. "I've got someone as supportive as you, I don't care what shits they're going to spew out of their mouths."

"And then what if you end up lonely and sad like her for the rest of your life?" She asked again. "I can't be by your side forever, Lance... And let me be frank... When the person you love knows about this, how will he react? Will he accept you?"

"I never thought that far," he admitted. "But... if he really loves me, then yes, he'll accept me."

"You're so naive," she murmured.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to know better about love?" he asked as he ruffled her hair.

"I do," she said as she swatted his hand away. "But... I can't help it, okay? What if you ended up like her? The sadness, the depression..."

"Hey, I have someone as wonderful as you in my life," he told her. "There's no way I'm going to end up alone. As soon as I get lonely, I'm going to call you right away. You heard me?"

Those words brought a smile to her face. "You'd better call," she said as she punched the side of his arm playfully.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Sometimes I wonder if I have a disorder or anything...  
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**Part 4**

When the meeting was finally over, the President was the first to leave the room to attend to his next business. Alder and Diantha both stood to leave as well, for they also have their own matters to attend to, but froze when they saw Lance standing by the doorway. At that instant, they knew something was going to happen, and they decided their next business can wait for another minute.

Steven noticed the man who just entered the room and stood up. Cynthia did the same, and the tension quickly mounted the atmosphere.

"Cynthia," Lance addressed the female Champion and looked at her in the eyes.

Cynthia walked closer towards the door and stood face to face again with Lance They both folded their arms at the same time, and if the heavy tension wasn't there, Steven would've let himself laugh at the uncanny resemblance of their posture.

"I received report from one of my GYM Leaders," Lance said with a casual tone. "The recruitment poster was a false alarm. It was a mistake on the GYM Leader's part, but it was a mistake on my part to confront you without checking it out beforehand... And for that, I apologize." His apology sounded scripted, but he seemed sincere about it.

Cynthia nodded, "Oh, good to know that..." she did not attempt to hide the bitterness in her voice.

Lance shrugged, "I have nothing more to say. If you're still unhappy, I can call Erika to apologize."

"There's no need for that," Cynthia replied. "All I need is an apology from you."

"And you've got it," Lance pointed out.

"Yeah, I did..."

Lance sighed, "Well, that's that, isn't it?" He looked around the room and said, "See you guys next month." And without another word, he turned around and disappeared.

Steven walked over to Cynthia and squeezed her shoulder, "Are you alright?"

Cynthia let out a tired sigh, "The nerves of that bastard..."

Alder interrupted, "Cynthia, you have to understand that his work isn't easy either. In addition to Kanto, he also have to ensure the safety of Johto. Don't forget that he's the Champion of two regions... He has a lot of stress to deal with."

"Still, that doesn't give him the right insult me like that," Cynthia replied.

"Honey, he apologized, isn't that enough?" Diantha asked.

"You can forgive, but you can't forget," Cynthia grunted. She shook her head and said, "Never mind about that jerk, I still have a lot of work to do." She then turned her attention to Steven, "See you tonight?"

Steven nodded, "Yeah, see you." He kissed her on her lips, before they parted.

Alder and Diantha soon left after saying their goodbyes, and Steven was left alone in the conference room. He was about to leave, but that was when he spotted something red on the floor. He quickly recognized them as blood, and realized that it must have came from Lance. A pang of guilt hit him, but then he had to remind himself that Lance deserved it. He walked out of the room, self-assured that he had done the right thing, and headed towards the bathroom.

When he walked inside, however, he was surprised to find Lance there.

Lance were leaning against the sink, with both his hands laid down on the cold marble tiles to support himself. He looked a bit troubled and tired.

"Lance?" Steven called out for his name, concerned nonetheless by the way he was acting. "Are you alright?"

Lance soon noticed his existence, "Oh, it's only you..." he murmured, before he straightened himself up and turned to wash his hand.

"What's wrong? You look a bit off..." Steven commented.

"It's none of your business," Lance replied as he turned and headed for the door. He shoved Steven aside and walked out of the bathroom, but the younger Champion grabbed his arm and quickly stopped him.

"Wait, please," Steven said, and took a closer look on Lance's left cheek. It was bruising pretty prominently. "I too would like to apologize."

Lance spared him a glance, "For this?" he asked as his hand reached up to stroke the bruise. "Not a big deal... It didn't even hurt." He shrugged. "You hit like a woman." And with that last remark, he walked away.

Guilt was quickly washed out of Steven, and he wished he had hit him a little bit harder.

X

Cynthia placed down her papers when she heard a knock on her office door. She looked up and said, "Come in." However, when she recognized the face of her guest, she quickly regretted for letting the man in. _This better be important. _She thought to herself as she took off her glassess. "Volkner," she spoke out the name, "What are you doing here?"

The blonde GYM Leader closed the door behind him, and made his way towards her. He sat down on the edge of the table next to her and replied, "I'm bored..." he simply said. "No challangers for the past few months, and I ran out of ideas on what to do with my GYM."

"And then you decided that coming here is a good idea?" Cynthia asked bitterly.

Volkner observed her for a moment, "Yeah, that's what I thought..." he paused and added, "But then apparently, it isn't."

Cynthia sighed as she robbed her forehead, "Volkner, if you have nothing important to tell me, then please get out of here... I've had enough for one day, I can't deal with your nonsense anymore."

He didn't listen to her though, just like always. His gaze felt as if it pierced right through the many layers Cynthia placed around herself, straight to the bare, naked center where all the truth lies. She shivered under her gaze, it was never comfortable to be studied by this silently sharp man.

"Who was it?" He finally asked, as if he knew without asking that she just had a fight with someone.

"You don't need to know..." Cynthia murmured as she shoved him off her desk and returned her gaze to her work.

"Did you have a fight with your boyfriend?" he asked that question with a sneer.

Cynthia glared at him, "Sorry to burst your bubble, but Steven is the nicest man I've ever dated... Unlike you, he actually cares for me."

"I care for you," Volkner pointed out. "You were the one who left me, remember?"

"You were trying to open our relationship!" Cynthia growled as she rose from her seat. "You got tired of me, didn't you? But you still wanted me around as your..." she hesitated to use the word, but then decided that it was the truth, "Whore! To you, I'm nothing more than a toy, isn't it?"

"How many times should I tell you that it's not true?" Volkner raised his voice as well. "You were only twenty! I told you that you were too young to be staying at home during weeknights cooking dinner for me! You were twenty, but you acted as if you were fifty! Do you know how guilty I felt?"

"Lies!" she roared. "Everything you ever said are lies! Even if you were telling the truth, then have you ever thought about how I felt? Have you ever thought that maybe... I wanted to stay in during weeknights and be by your side instead of getting knocked up by some random stranger in some stinking alley? Have you ever thought of that?"

"I was doing it for your own good," Volkner returned, but his reason sounded weaker.

"All you ever care about is yourself!" She continued. "What about my feelings? You never consider them! And you're telling me that you care for me? Fuck off!"

The room fell silent, and Volkner broke the silence with a sigh.

He ran his fingers through his hair and said, "Alright, I'm sorry, it was dumb of me to try to open our relationship. And it was dumb of me to try and force my decision on you without thinking about your feelings."

Cynthia shook her head, "You're so... Irritating!" she slumped down on her seat rubbed her forehead.

Volkner observed her again and said, "You're... Unusually short-tempered today... What happened?" the concern was now genuine in his voice.

Cynthia closed her eyes for a moment and thought about it. She finally decided that there was no harm in talking to Volkner about her problems, "It was... Lance."

"Lance?" Volkner looked surprised. "The Champion?"

"The guy's a bastard..." Cynthia hissed. "His GYM Leader reported a Team Galactic recruitment poster in Kanto, and he was furious... He confronted me, called me unreliable and all..." she breathed out loud. "It was a false alarm, as it turns out, but..." she shook her head, "He was... So. Damn. Rude."

Volkner walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "What did he say?"

She looked up at him, and sighed, "He asked me how many blowjobs did I give to the President in order to make him give me this position."

"What?" his voice was laced with anger, his eyes gleamed with incomprehensible rage. "And what did you do?"

"Steven hit him for me," Cynthia smiled. "He did that before I can break that bastard's nose..."

The rage considerably calmed, but the flickers were still there, "You worked hard to get here..."

"I know... That's why I..." she sighed. "I'm so pissed right now..."

"I remember..." Volkner smiled fondly at the memory. "You couldn't beat the Elite Four at that time. So you came to Sunnyshore to train with me..." he paused, "You woke up before dawn, and slept after midnight, all the time training with your Pokemon... You never rested more than enough that I was starting to get worried about your health..."

Cynthia chuckled lightly, "But look where I am now... I am the strongest in the region..."

"And you deserved it," Volkner nodded. "And he has no right to insult you like that..."

"Yes, he doesn't have any right..." she agreed. "He apologized, but... It still kinda... Hurts, you know..."

"Do you want me to break his nose for you?"

"No need for that... It'll pass soon enough, I think..."

Silence suddenly fell over them.

"I think..." Volkner started. "I think you look really tried. How about you and me go out to grab some lunch?"

She seemed to consider saying 'no' for a moment, but she couldn't help but admit that Volkner's suggestion didn't sound so bad. With a shrug, she finally said, "Sure, let's go."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I'm wondering how dumb I actually am...  
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**Part 5**

The news erupted in the league and spread like wildfire.

It hasn't even been a night, and everybody there knew what happened already. For Steven, it was a frightening reminder that women's power of news-spreading is to be feared. Wallace only told him after he heard it from Cynthia, and even though he knew that it was going to happen sooner or later, he never expected it to happen this soon.

"It happened so fast," Wallace recounted with a wide grin on his face. "I... I didn't have any plan to do it that evening, you know... The question just slipped out of my mouth. I got the ring already, and I was going to plan a grand proposal scheme, you know... But, I couldn't hold it in. And so I asked her right there and then to marry me."

Steven smiled at his best friend, "That's good news. I'm happy to hear that."

Wallace couldn't take the grin off his face. Since this morning, he had received nothing but congratulations from his friends, and yet he never got tired of responding to them. He was elated with joy, and nobody could do anything to ruin his day.

"Have you guys talk about the date?" Steven asked.

"No, not yet," Wallace shook his head. "I'm going to see her parents first though... And then I'm going to introduce her to mine. Afterwards, we'll work out the details for the big day."

"Well, best of luck to you."

"Thanks," he replied. "How about you then, pal? When are you goint to ask Cynthia?"

Steven inwardly cringed at the question, "I... I'm not sure."

"Come on, man, why are you delaying?" Wallace asked. "You love her, right?"

Steven sighed as he fixed his gaze at his teacup. "... I'm not sure..." he finally admitted after a considerable pause. "I'm not sure what love is."

Wallace leaned forward on his seat, "What do you mean?"

Steven closed his eyes for a moment, before he replied, "Waking up everyday to her face, enjoying breakfast with her every morning and sleeping next to her every night... Is that what love is about? I mean... You dragged me to those sappy movies, you know... And I thought love is supposed to be more..." he struggled with the word, "Exciting?"

Wallace suddenly looked serious, "Are you saying that you're not happy?"

Steven opened his mouth to deny that statement, however, his heart stopped him from telling a lie. "Probably not as much as I thought I would be..." he murmured.

The concern was genuine in Wallace's eyes, "I don't want to be the one to suggest this, but..." he paused, then continued, "If you're not sure about her, then why don't you tell her you want some time off from your relationship? It's like a temporary break up, you know, but with half the pain of normal break up." He shrugged. "I'm not saying you should leave her, but I think it'll be a good idea if you stay away from her for a while and think on what you truly want..."

Steven thought about it for a moment, "What I truly want?"

"Ask yourself... Is she the woman of your dreams? Do you want to be with her for the rest of your life? How bad do you need her to be by your side?" Wallace made a gesture with his hand. "Think on the answers by yourself... And if your answers are all 'yes', then... You know what to do."

"What if it's a 'no'?" Steven questioned. "What if she's not what I want...?"

Wallace looked at him with stern eyes, "Then tell her. She needs to know that this relationship is going nowhere..."

Steven nodded grimly, "Thank you for the advice..."

Wallace smiled, "You're welcome..."

X

Steven never questioned their relationship. Their mutual attraction began four years ago when they just started out working for the league as new Champions. They were often assigned together on jobs and missions, and they quickly became fast friends. Everyone around them thought they would make a nice couple, and they soon find themselves trapped in an awkward matchmaking scheme set up by their close friends. It didn't take long for them to gave the relationship a try.

And now three years have passed.

Looking back, he never actually desired Cynthia. Everybody thought that it was a good idea, and Cynthia herself seemed to be willing, so he told himself to give it a try. He never thought that they would actually last more than a year, considering his lack of experience in the romance department.

It was surprising that they could still stay together after three years.

She moved in with him not long ago. She frequented him often and went home late at night. He thought that it would be much safer and more convenient for her to just stay in his place instead of going back and forth like that. He still remember the look on her face when he offered her that idea; she was at the brink of tears. It brought her so much happiness, and yet why couldn't he feel the same way? Why couldn't he feel happy with their relationship?

It frustrates him to feel so... Unfulfilled.

"Oh, Steven, hey!" a voice called out for him when he was making his way to his office.

Steven turned to look, and saw none other than the Sinnoh Elite Four member, Flint. The fire-type trainer, as always, has a wide friendly smile plastered to his face as he approached Steven.

"It's been a while since we last spoke, how have you been? Good?" He asked cheerfully.

Steven nodded, "Yeah, "I'm doing good. What about you?"

"Fine, perfect," Flint grinned. "I'm just looking for Volkner though, have you seen him around today? We were supposed to go hang out tonight."

"No, I haven't." Steven shook his head.

"Man," Flint sighed, "That guy's a load of trouble. He can't be thinking of leaving me alone... Where is he now? Oh, hey, if you're not busy tonight, how about you join me and the others to the bar tonight, hm? Wallace is going to be there, and then there's Aaron, Karen, Will, Sidney, Grimsley... Why don't you come and join us? It's been a while since we last hang out, right? Take Cynthia with you, the more the merrier!"

It has indeed been a while since he last went out for a drink. He wasn't very find of bars, but an hour or two there probably wouldn't hurt. And so he replied, "I'll call Cynthia and see if she's up to it."

"Great! I'll see you tonight!" Flint patted him on his shoulder, before he turned around and walked away.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: A lot of stress this week!  
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**Part 6**

Lance felt sick.

He had never felt this way after a battle, but now the feeling just washed over him as he watched Red withdrew his last, unconscious Pokemon back into its Pokeball. The raven-haired man looked up from under his cap and offered him a kind smile.

"That was amazing, Lance..." Red's voice was soft, but Lance could still hear him from across the field. "You're getting stronger and stronger..."

"Thanks..." Lance replied, ignoring the gut-wrenching feeling in his stomach.

Red chuckled, "I never thought the day would come that you would defeat me again... But I guess you've been training hard." He walked over and stood roughly a meter apart from the man. "Congratulations, you did great."

Lance should have felt happy. Ever since he got beaten by Red, he had been training relentlessly in order to regain his standing as the most powerful trainer in the region. He should be happy, but all that he could feel was sadness, despair and anger. They were far from happiness.

How could he feel happy when Dragonite is not there to share it by his side?

Red, being the observant man he is, tilted his head in confusion and asked, "What's wrong? You look strange... Is something bothering you?"

Lance shook his head, "Nothing," he murmured, "I just need to sit down."

Red smiled, "Then let's go sit down somewhere and catch up, shall we? It's been years since we last spoke ot each other..."

Lance looked up at the man standing in front of him. For a moment, the idea of turning him down flashed across his mind, but he reminded himself that Red is one of the few people he looks up to. And so, with a heavy heart, he nodded, "Sure."

X

Red led him into the league cafeteria. Whispers and murmurs followed them as they entered, for it has been more than a decade since anyone laid eyes on the mysterious Champion of Kanto who went missing after defeating Lance. However, Red ignored them as he led Lance to the seat at the corner of the room. Lance sat down across from him, and placed down his cup of coffee.

Lance observed the man sitting before him. It has been many years indeed, and Red has considerably changed. He had lost his boyish smile and child-like enthusiasm. There was an air of maturity around him, and even though his eyes burned no longer with wild spirit, there was something else much kinder and gentler in its place.

Before Red could speak, Lance noticed the ring on his right hand, and quickl asked, "You're... Engaged?"

Red smiled, "Yes, yes I am..."

Lance blinked, unable to believe that someone as young as Red is getting married before him. "Are you... Serious?"

Red nodded and chuckled, "Yes, Lance... I'm going to get married. He... proposed..."

Lance always knew that Red isn't straight, but it was the first time Lance heard him speaks about it. "Who?"

Red looked at him and replied, "Green."

Lance's eyes widened, "You've got to be kidding me."

Another chuckled escaped the young man's throat, "But it's true."

"The kid is annoying as fuck, how the fuck do you stand that little runt?" Lance stared at him with a look that questioned Red's sanity.

That made him earned an amused laugh from Red, and the young man replied, "I know, I know that he's a bit... Different..." Red admitted. "Short-tempered, nasty, and sometimes a bit mean... But, you can't deny that he's also kind in some ways."

"He's always going to be a little runt to me..." Lance murmured. "I still remember how he gloated after he beat me... The nerves of that bastard. Good thing you put him back in his place years ago, otherwise he would still be gloating even until now."

Red laughed, "Yes, yes he would."

Silence fell over them, but it was more of a comprehensive silence rather than awkward.

"When did he propose?" Lance asked.

"A few weeks ago..."

"congratulations..."

"Thank you."

"I still think you can do a lot better than that runt."

Red smiled, "That runt..." he smiled, "is my childhood friend, and also my first love... I love him, Lance."

"Oi, you're only twenty, what do you know about love?" Lance asked as he reached over and poked Red's cheek.

"I know enough," Red shrugged.

"You don't need to rush on these things," Lance sighed. "Marriage if a lifetime commitment. You might be ready, but what about him? He's young and brash. He's the kind of guy who wouldn't think twice before cheating on you... His control snaps easily, and you know it."

At the mention of that, Red looked a little bit troubled. "I know that..." he honestly admitted. "But... At the same time, I love him too much. I don't think... I want to be with anybody else, Lance."

Lance sighed again, "You're only going to get yourself hurt..."

Silence fell over them again, and this time, it was awkward.

Red finally broke the silence, "I... I'm going to risk it."

Lance shook his head, "You are so naive..." he muttered before taking a sip of his coffee.

Red watched him for a moment, before he finally asked, "How about you, Lance?"

"What?"

"How about you?" Red repeated. "Do you have someone in your life at the moment?"

Lance shook his head, "No, I don't."

Red's eyes widened, "Really? Why?"

"Still haven't found the right one," Lance replied with a shrug. "It's not like I'm in a rush to get married though..."

Red eyed him for a moment, "Aren't you... Lonely?"

Lance perked up at that question, "Lonely? Me?" he sneered, "No fucking way."

"Oh, I see..."

Deep inside him, Lance knew that he just told a lie.

X

The thought of not being able to share his hard-fought victory with Dragonite haunted him until the evening. Even though he tried to act as if everything was fine, he knew that he couldn't lie to himself. His heart yearned for the comfort of his one and only friend, but his friend is now in the possession of his grandfather. He has to admit that he was tempted to go out there, burn down Blackthorn and the Dragon Clan, and retrieved his friend, but that was simply impossible.

No matter how hard he trained, he would never stand a chance against the collective members of the Dragon Clan. He may be a master, but against such overwhelming number, he will undoubtedly fall.

He tossed and turned on his bed all evening, hoping that sleep would claim him and relieve him of his sadness. However, sleep did not come, and the sadness remained.

Irritated, he jumped out of bed and changed into his workout outfit. He put on his running shoes and exited his room.

Perhaps the city's fresh air can bring a little clarity into his muddled mind.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Jumped over one landmine, only to step onto another one! Argh!  
><strong>

**Part 7**

The bar was noisy and crowded, and it was hard for him to find his co-workers the moment he stepped in. However, Flint noticed him entering, and immediately waved his hand around like a mad man to signal Steven to come over. Steven noticed Flint, and saw that the guys were all seated in the semi-circular booth at the corner of the room. He walked over to them carefully, hoping not to trip over anything, for the light was dim.

'Hey, Steven, good to see you!" Flint rose and wound his arm around Steven's shoulder. "Where's Cynthia?"

"I called her, but she said she was busy," Steven replied, recalling the earlier conversation he had with his girlfriend. "She told me to come and have a good time."

"Aw, poor you, getting dumped by your girlfriend over work," Will, who was obviously drunk, suddenly commented. "Your life is so sad... just like mine!"

"Don't mind that guy," Sidney said. "Sabrina has been busy with her work and he became," he gestured at the drunken Will, "Like this..."

Wallace suddenly rose and greeted him, "Steven, glad you came! Come on, let's get you something to drink!" he said as he went over to him and pulled him away. "Two beers please," he said to the bartender and leaned against the table. "It's been a while since we do something like this, huh?"

"It's been pretty long," Steven admitted. "Where's Winona?"

Wallace shrugged, "Her girl friends pulled her for a slumber party... Apparently girls still like to throw those kind of parties even when they're all grown-up."

Steven smiled. "That's new."

"Cynthia never had one of those before?"

"Never," Steven replied. Their beer was served, and Steven grab a hold of his drink.

"Oh... Lucky you," Wallace murmured as he grabbed his drink, and led the way back to their table.

The night was random and crazy. As usual, everyone had too much to drink, and soon enough, they started disappearing into the bathroom, but never came back. Steven rose from his seat and left the bar when everybody started talking gibberish, and made his way back to the league where he planned on staying the night. He decided he wants to avoid Cynthia for the night and cleared his thoughts before seeing her again tomorrow.

He pondered on the questions Wallace gave him on the way home. The night was cold, and the wind chilled him down to the marrow. He felt a little bit tipsy after drinking, but the coldness helped sober him up.

When he came closer to corner leading up to the league, however, he saw someone coming from the opposite end of the road. He squinted to get a better view, and was surprised to make out the figure as Lance. Curious, concerned, and mind hazy with alcohol, he crossed the street and approached him. Lance stopped when he saw Steven.

"Evening, Lance," Steven said with a smile. He observed the man before him for a moment, before saying, "Why are you out jogging this late?"

Lance looked as if Steven had just disturbed him from a nice sleep, but he replied anyway. "Can't sleep." He looked at Steven from head to toe, before asking a question of his own, "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be getting drunk right now?" he threw the question, before he walk onward.

Steven caught up and walked next to him, "I don't like the crowd so well..." he replied. "Besides, I've got a girlfriend... I can't go around to get laid... I'm a very loyal man."

Lance glanced at him, 'Oh... Is that so?"

Steven chuckled, "Yes, that is so..." he then looked at Lance and asked, "Why aren't you out drinking? You don't have a girlfriend, right?"

"I... can't drink." Lance reluctantly admitted.

"Oh... You can't hold your drink?"

"I can," Lance immediately corrected. "It's just that... I have... A health problem."

"Oh, I see," Steven nodded with understanding. "My father got that too, you know... Uh, what do you call it...?" he searched through his hazy mind for the right word.

"Liver problem?"

"Yes!" Steven clapped his hand, "That is correct, Liver problem!" he chuckled to himself. "He used to drink a lot before he got diagnosed, and now he's trying desperately to stop himself from picking a bottle from the cellar... I have to lock down the place and hide the key, unless we have some important guests coming."

"I seriously couldn't care any less about that," Lance sighed. "You're drunk. Why don't you just shut up?"

Steven chuckled, "Lance, you are really, really straight-forward... You never hold back, do you?"

"No, and I like to keep it that way," Lance said.

"Fair enough." He smiled and remained silent for the rest of their walk back to the league.

The living quarter was silent when they walked in. The great corridor that stretched out before them the moment they walked in was brighter compared to the darkness outside. They walked pass through the many doors on either side of the corridor and made their way to the second floor where the rooms reserved for the Champions are located. The thick, red carpet silence their footsteps as they climbed up the grand staircase, and walked into the chamber that held the entrances to their respective rooms.

When they stepped in the chamber, there seemed to be nothing odd in there. However, when something moving caught their eyes, they turned their attention to the left side of the dome-shaped chamber, and Steven's heart quickly fell into the ground.

At first, he couldn't believe in his eyes. He thought his eyes and the alcohol had teamed up against him. However, no matter how many times he blinked, he realized that it wasn't a joke. Cynthia was really making out with Volkner in front of her room.

When Cynthia realized that Steven and Lance were there, she quickly pushed Volkner away with all her might and said, "Steven!"

Surprised, Volkner turned to look as well, and compared to Cynthia, he looked mildly surprised.

Steven said nothing as he stared, still unable to digest the implication of the scene he just saw.

"Steven, I can explain," Cynthia hastily attempted to explain as she fixed her clothing and hair.

His head hurt, and everything felt surreal. He wondered if it was all just a bad dream.

"Volkner and I went out to go get some drink and I got a little bit drunk, and then he offered to help me get back to my room. I told him no, but he insisted, and so I said yes. And when we reached here, he started kissing me and I was drunk and I didn't know what to do and I, and I..." she paused to breathe. "I'm sorry," she looked as if she was about to cry, "I didn't mean for that to happen."

Steven studied her for a moment, deep inside wondering why it was so hard for him to digest everything going on. He glanced up at Volkner, bu the GYM Leader avoided his gaze. With a sigh, he finally said, "We need to talk..." for someone who just found out that his girlfriend was going to cheat on him, he sounded considerably calm.

Cynthia looked at him with her teary eyes, "I'm really sorry..." Even then, her face looked flushed with alcohol. She obviously drank more than Steven did just now

"I know you are..." Those words felt empty. "Come... I want to talk with you..." And without another word, he led her the way towards his room. Cynthia was reluctant, but she followed after him.

As soon as they disappeared into the room, Lance turned his gaze towards Volkner.

"Nice move there," Lance commented with a sneer. "Finally tired of single gay guys you met on lonelygaybastards dot com?"

Volkner glared at him, "Oh, the last time I went there, I remember picking you up."

Lance smirked, "You were lousy. I can't believe that woman would choose you over that guy."

Volkner rolled his eyes, "Please, that guy doesn't even know how to use his dick... I am so much better compared to him."

"He's rich," Lance pointed out. "And he got more style compared to you. Not to mention, he's not an asshole. If I were a woman, I would choose him over you on any day."

Volkner narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"

Lance shrugged, "Just wondering... When was the last time we fuck?"

Volkner fell silent for a moment, before he replied, "Four months ago. Why?"

Lance did the math in his brain, before he shook his head and said, "Have you went for a check up?"

Volkner nodded, "Yeah, just last month."

"Everything clean?"

Volkner nodded, "Yeah, clean."

"Okay then... Good for you."

"What's wrong with you? Caught something?"

Lance was reluctant to answer, but with a sigh, he nodded, "Yeah, caught some awful shit..."

"Tough luck," Morty commented.

"You're telling me..."

"Who was it?"

"Probably some guy I sucked off in some corner..." Lance unhappily muttered.

"Well, you were whoring yourself around, no wonder you caught it," Volkner shrugged. "Don't come back to me until it heals, okay? I don't want any of that."

"No, this is the kind that won't heal..."

Volkner was surprised nonetheless. He stared at Lance for a moment, before he said, "We're never ever going to fuck again."

"Sounds like a fantastic idea," Lance said, hinting sarcasm in his voice. "I was thinking that maybe we should come to my room now and fuck like teenagers in heat. But fuck my idea, yours is fucking better!"

"I know, right?" Volkner returned with the same sarcastic tone.

Silence fell over them, but Lance quickly broke it, "Don't tell anyone else about this though... I trust you'll keep quiet?"

Volkner nodded, "I won't... Unless you plan to go around and infect everyone with that thing."

"That's not going to happen."

"Then your secret's safe with me." Volkner simply shrugged.

"... Thanks..." he then turned towards his room. "I'll see you tomorrow..."

"Yeah, see you."

Lance didn't look back as he walked into his room and closed the door behind him.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Feeling kinda happy, but then reality changed that..  
><strong>

**Part 8**

His head throbs painfully, and his heart felt as if it was antagonizingly squeezed by some invisible hand. It was hard enough for him to breath and keep calm. He wondered if he can keep himself together enough to convey his intentions to his grilfriend.

Steven stood facing the window that overlooked the league's garden. It was dark, but he can see the unmistakable silhouette of the fountain located at the center of the garden. For a moment, he was silent, and so was Cynthia. He wondered where to begin, what to say, and what to do.

Finally, he started, "I don't think this relationship is working well for us..."

Cynthia quickly replied, "Steven, I'm really, really sorry..."

"I know you are," Steven nodded. "But lately, I have been thinking about it too, you know..." he inhaled, before he continued. "You... An amazing woman, I have to admit, but... I don't think I'm in love with you..."

"... What?"

Steven nodded as he turned to look at her. She was standing not far behind him, a look of shock was etched on her features. "This feeling I have for you... I don't think that this is what they call love... I care for you, you are a very kind and gentle person, and you make me happy, but... If this is love, then why does it feels so... Small?"

"You don't love me...?" she repeated those words with shaking lips.

Steven shook his head, "Not as much as I want to..."

She didn't say anything. All she could do was stare in shock.

"I think we should give ourselves some time off to sort out our feelings..." Steven continued. "I was going to talk to you about this later, but seeing that you too seemed to be unsure. Then maybe... It's best to do it now."

Cynthia felt a burning rage towards Volkner, but she did not let it show. While still holding everything in, she nodded and said, "I understand..." In her mind, she would like nothing more than to violently lash out at Volkner. "I'll go grab my things from the house."

"No, no," Steven immediately said. "Please, stay there..." He told her. "I'll grab my things and stay here for the time being."

"But... That's your house."

They argued about it for a moment, but then it was decided that Steven will stay in the league whereas Cynthia will go back to her place in Sinnoh. They needed time and space, and that house contained a lot of memories that neither could bear to step into at their current situation. Afterwards, Cynthia left, and Steven let himself collapsed on the bed.

His mind was racing with thoughts, however, sleep claimed him easier than he expected...

X

Steven woke up at dawn. He had a dream he couldn't remember about, however, he knew that he was terrified. He woke up, his clothing damp with sweat, even though it was nearing winter. With a sigh, he rose out of bed and took a shower. When he was done, he exited his room in search of something that can soothe all the turmoil in him. However, when he stepped out of his room, he was surprised to see Lance, who was in his workout clothing, exiting his room at the same time.

They stared at each other in mild surprise for a moment, before Steven spoke, "Good morning, Lance... Going out?"

Lance nodded as he locked his room. "Yes." He looked at him and said. "You?"

Steven opened his mouth to reply, but nothing good came out. And so he just shook his head and said, "I don't know..."

Lance smirked in amusement, as if he knew about the internal turmoil going on inside Steven, "Well, I'm off." He tucked his key in his pocket and waved Steven goodbye.

However, Steven stopped him, "Lance, wait."

Lance stopped and turned to look at him. "What?"

"May I come with you?"

Lance didn't say anything for a moment, but finally he said, "In those clothes?" he asked, indicating the clothes Steven had on which were obviously not meant for a morning jog.

"Let me get change," Steven said.

"Make it quick then." Lance told him.

Steven disappeared into his room without another word.

X

The morning air was cool and fresh, and the wind went against his face helped clear his mind. It was still daybreak, and there weren't many people on the streets. The city felt so quiet and lonely, and yet somehow, there was something soothing about the whole scene.

They ran in silence, each only focused on how to keep their breath and pace steady. Lance led the way to the housing complex nearby, and his pace began to slow down as they neared a huge garden which overlooked the whole city on the far side.

Steven hadn't realized that they had ran for quiet some distance until he saw the league building in the distance from where they stood. The sun was fully up already, and the street were beginning to get busy.

Lance stopped to enjoy the view, and Steven stood beside him.

"So..." Steven asked, "You come here everyday?"

Lance nodded as he wiped his sweaty forehead with the sleeves of his outift. "Sometimes I run to some other places though... Just for a change..."

"Oh... I see..."

They were nearly breathless and tired, and so they once again fell into silence as they tried to regain themselves.

"So..." Lance suddenly brought up. "How did things go with your woman?"

Steven felt a lot better now, however, he still felt reluctant to think about her again. "We decided that it's best to give ourselves some time off..." he replied quietly.

"Is that so?" Lance asked. "Must be tough on you..."

"No, no, it wasn't that bad for me..." he said. "I've been... Unsure about us too. We've been together for three years, but... The idea of marrying her just doesn't settle very well in me."

"Hey, there are plenty of other women out there," Lance told him. "If she's not the one, then don't force it..."

Steven smiled, "Thanks..." he thought about it for a moment, before asking, "Do you have any girlfriend?"

Lance shook his head, "No."

"Really? How come?"

Lance smirked, "I'm into men," he glanced at Steven, and felt amused when he saw the look of surprise on Steven's face.

"I... I never knew," Steven admitted. "That you're... Uh..."

"A fag?"

A flash of hurt flashed across Steven's eyes, "No, that's not what I was going to say."

Lance shrugged, "You look as if you were about to."

"No," Steven denied. "No, nothing like that... I was going to say 'gay'."

Lance shrugged, "Fag, gay, queer, homo... Whatever suits you is fine with me. Just don't go around telling me that my preference is wrong."

An awkward silence fell over them, and Steven decided to ask again, "Uh... So... Do you have any boyfriend?"

"No," Lance replied, before he quickly steered off the topic, "Alright, let's go back now. Can you keep up?" He asked with a hint of pride and mockery in his voice.

Steven frowned, "First one back pays for lunch?"

Lance smirk got even wider, "Prepare to lose your money." He said, before he dashed off ahead.

"I think that's my line..." Steven murmured to himself as he followed.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Plot bunnies!  
><strong>

**Part 9**

It didn't take long for Lance to get used to Steven's company every morning during his jog. He admitted that he found the company to be unwanted at first, but Steven proved to be a quiet man; one that wouldn't stick his nose where it doesn't belong, and Lance found himself struck with nothing less than respect. These days, it's rare to find someone so pleasantly indifferent, and even though Lance tried to find fault in the man, he could not find anything wrong with him. And so, surprisingly, they got along, and their budding relationship was also noticed by their peers.

"Lance, that man is straight!" Morty told him, he looked as if he was ready to jump out of his seat. "And he's got Cynthia!"

"Morty, we're friends, nothing more," Lance half-growled, barely taking his eyes off his work. "Can we please stop talking about him?"

"Lance, everybody is talking about you and him!" Morty cried out. "Everybody knows you're gay! Without even you knowing, these crazy rumors are bubbling up, you know? Yesterday I heard someone said that he moved in with you already! I mean, what the hell?"

Lance closed his eyes and, for the first time ever, put down his work to engage in a conversation in Morty. "Something like that... Happened?" he asked, sounding unconvinced.

Morty nodded. "And Cynthia was there too... She quickly left the cafetaria, and I haven't seen her ever since. Lance, I don't deserve to say this, but... Steven Stone? Come on, you can't be serious about him, right?"

"Morty, I told you, we're friends," Lance clenched his fists. "How many times do I have to repeat myself before the message gets through your fucking thick skull?"

The ghost-trainer narrowed his eyes, "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, I am sure."

Morty studied him for a moment, before he slumped back on his seat. "Well, then I guess I worry for nothing..."

"You were worried?" Lance found that hard to believe.

"He's straight," Morty pointed out. "What if he only plays around with you because he's curious?"

"Please, I wouldn't let myself be toyed around with..." Lance murmured. "You really do worry for nothing..."

Morty opened his mouth to reply, however, that was when they heard a knock on the door, and Steven walked in. He paused abruptly when he saw Morty in there, "Oh, sorry, am I interrupting?" he asked politely.

"No, not at all, come in!" Morty cheerfully invited him in with a broad smiled and acted as if they hadn't been talking about him. "We were just chatting," he rose from his seat, "I assume you have something to important to discuss?"

"No, nothing important, really," Steven replied with a smile. "Actually, I'm here to talk to Lance."

Lance looked at him and said, "What's up?" He asked.

"Well, I was wondering," Steven hesitated for a moment. "If you're free this weekend?"

Lance quirked his eyebrow for a moment, before he replied, "That depends on what you're going to propose."

Steven smiled, "I'm going mountain-climbing... Are you interested in joining me?"

"Mountain-climbing?" Lance thought about it for a moment, before he replied, "Well then I guess I'm free..."

Steven chuckled, "I'll pick you up in the morning at five?"

Lance nodded, "At five."

"Alright then, sorry for interrupting," he nodded at Morty, before he left the room.

As soon as the door closed, Morty turned to look and Lance and said, "Are you guys seriously not dating?"

Lance sighed, "Get out of here."

X

Nobody could contain the rumors.

And it didn't take long for them to reach the ears of Steven's friends. Steven thought that they would know that there could be no way that he's turning gay after all these years. However, Steven placed too much faith in his friends, and one can only imagine the disappointment he faced when they all dropped in his room one night and forced him to sit down and 'talk'.

Steven leaned against his table and held a glass of wine in his hand. Carefully, he observed the faces of his friends one by one, and they looked back at him with concern and awkwardness in their eyes. Wallace was there, and he was probably the one who gathered everyone. Steven could see Winona there, as well as Glacia, Sidney, Flint and Volkner. He understood why Winona was there; she and Wallace had become a inseperable pair. He was sure that Wallace invited Glacia and Sidney because they were both somewhat close to Steven, and Glacia gives away advices like a gentle mother. But Flint and Volkner? Volkner was probably just tagging along with Flint, so then why's Flint there?

"Come on, Steven," Wallace said as he patted the spot next to him on the floor. "Let's talk."

"About what?" Steven asked, before he sipped his red wine.

Winona quietly sighed, "Steven, we're only doing this because we care for you."

"I don't." Volkner added.

"Good point," Steven pointed at him. "So then what are you doing here?"

Flint laughed, "Sorry dude," he said as he patted Volkner's back. "The guy's only tagging along with me. We were bored, you see, and well... Wallace looked as if he has an important agenda for the night, so I just thought that we should go along with him, you know... Get some fun and all..." he ended his explaination with a shrug.

Steven pointedly looked at his best friend. "What's the meaning of this?"

Wallace patted the empty space next to him again, "Sit down, and let's talk."

The others demanded Steven to do so with their gazes, and Steven knew that they're not going to leave him alone unless he played along. With a sigh, he placed down his wine glass and sat down next to Wallace on the floor. He looked around the circle they have formed, and then raised the question, "So... What is it that you want to talk about?"

"Steven, this is about Lance..." Winona said as he looked at him in the eyes.

"Whoa, we're gossiping about Lance?" Flint's eyes widened, while Volkner rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"We've heard the rumors, pal," Wallace said as he patted Steven's shoulder. "And we just really want to hear it straight from you... Are you... Involved with Lance?"

Steven shook his head, "Yes, we're friends, so what?"

Everyone in the circle exchanged glances, before Winona spoke, "Steven... We all are here to tell you that... It's fine to be different. We are your friends, and we're like a family. We will accept you no matter who you choose to love. It doesn't matter to us, because you're part of our family now."

Steven gave her a curious look, "What are you talking about?"

Wallace sighed, "Steven... We all agree that we have no problem with you being gay."

For a moment, everyone fell silent. And Steven could only stare at his best friend in shock.

And then he said, "You people think I'm gay?"

"Oh, honey, it is nothing to be ashamed about," Glacia said with a kind smile. "It happens all the time. Some people discover that they're gay at a very young age, whereas some others discover about it a little bit later in life... However, it's never too late to be honest with yourself."

"Oh yeah, that thing also happened with my uncle!" Flint said with a big grin on his face. "The guy didn't realize that he's gay until he's into his third marriage!"

"As long as you're not hitting on me, I'll be fine with it," Sidney shrugged. "I mean, I know I'm irresistable and all, but please... I'm only for the ladies."

Winona smiled at Steven, "See, you've got nothing to be afraid of... We're all very supportive."

Steven studied them all with a dumb look on his face, before he sighed and said, "Look... I really don't know how to say this, but..."

"It's alright, pal! We understand," Wallace grinned. "No need to thank us, we're all friends, right?"

"I wasn't going to say thank you," Steven held up his finger before the other can hum in agreement. "I was going to say that... You are all mistaken, and I'm definitely not gay."

And then the room fell silent.

Steven put down his finger, and said, "You're all wasting your time here. I'm not gay. I have no interest in other men. Lance and I are just friends. And that's all."

"... Winnie," Wallace nudged his bride-to-be, "Uh... Do you... Eh... Have something to say...?"

Winona's face flushed red, and she stuttered for the right words to say. "I... I, uh... That is to say, w-w-we... are... umm..."

"Wow, that got awkward faster than expected," Volkner said with a sneer.

"I appreciate it that you guys are concerned about me," Steven sighed as he stood and walked over to grab his glass of wine again. "But this is pointless... I'm not gay."

"B-But... You... And... Lance?" Winona weakly asked.

"We're just friends," Steven replied, before he took another sip. "And he's not interested in me."

"Oh, we all know that one's a lie..." Volkner said.

Steven raised his eyebrow at the blonde, "Pardon?"

Volkner sighed as he stood up as well. He looked at Steven in the eyes and said, "I have the privilege to know him, to some extent, and let me tell you something... He's not the kind of person who would make a friend unless he has something to gain out of the relationship... That's just how he works." Volkner shrugged. "He won't bother talking to you unless you interest him..."

Steven frowned, "He's a decent man... I don't think he's the type of person who will take advantage of other people."

"That's what he wants you to believe," Volkner smirked. "Otherwise, how else can he make you bend over for him?"

"Alright, Volkner, I think that's enough," Flint tugged at Volkner's jacket and rose. "Whew, I thought there's going to be a party of something."

"I'm not going to bend over for anyone," Steven returned with a hardened gaze.

Volkner smirked wider, "Really? You look like a willing bottom to me..."

"Volkner," Flint said with an unusually serious tone. "We're done here. Let's go."

Volkner glared at his friend, "I'm only telling him the truth."

"... Truth is not something you can determine for someone else..."

Flint rolled his eyes, "Whatever... Let's hit the bar." He suggested as he headed for the door.

Flint turned to look at Steven and said, "Sorry, Steve," the friendly grin returned to his face. "Volky can be a little... rude, but you know he means well."

"Oh, I can clearly see that," Steven sarcastically returned. It wasn't like him to fight fire with fire, but the wine and the awkwardness were getting on his nerves. He wanted nothing more than to go to bed, and wake up the next morning to go mountain-climbing with Lance.

"I'm sorry if he offended you," Flint smiled. "Well, it's been fun, talk to you later!" he waved Steven and the others goodbye, before he followed Volkner out of the door.

"This isn't going as expected," Sidney commented. "Maybe we all should leave?"

Glacia nodded, "I agree that the situation has taken a very unexpected direction... Let's all turn in for the day and figure out what we're going to do tomorrow."

"But..." Winona hesitated. "I still think we need to..."

"You do not need to do anything for me," Steven groaned as he rubbed his aching temple. For a moment, the room fell silent, and Steven sighed before he looked at them with much calmer eyes. "I... Truly appreciate your concern for my well-being, but..." he took in a deep breath. "Lance and I... We're nothing more than friends. We're not romantically involved, and I have no interest in him. Not at all... I know that he's gay, but there's no rule out there that forbids me to have a gay friend, as far as I know... So please, stop this madness..."

Winona wasn't convinced, however, Wallace spoke before her, "Well then, that's good news, isn't it? Cynthia was worried, you know... I haven't seen her ever since yesterday... And she's not answering Winnie's call... you should call her. Tell her that the rumors were not true after all."

Steven nodded, "I'll call her..."


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Plot bunnies! AGAIN!  
><strong>

**Part 10**

The morning was still cold and chilly when they arrived at the mountain side in Steven's car. After they parked the car, they got out and Lance speechlessly gazed at the tall, steep mountain standing before them. It didn't look so steep when they were approaching the site, but now that he was there in front of the mountain, he suddenly felt nervous. He never climbed much, it wasn't his favorite hobby, he wondered if he could make it to the top.

"This is it," Steven said as he got our of the driver's seat. He slammed the door shut and set on the alarm. "Only pros come here to climb," he said with a hint of pride in his voice. "You see that board over there?" Steven said as he pointed at the huge white board located not far from them. "That's where they write down the ten fastest records of all time."

"Whose maintaining the board?" Lance asked as he looked around the area for some kind of cabin or something. He soon spotted one not far from the board.

"A friend of mine," Steven smiled. "Nick... He lives there, in that cabin. He's actually a researcher who studies the environmental condition in this area, but he likes climbing too. So far, he holds the first position on that board."

Lance looked at him, "What about you?"

"Second," Steven chuckled. "Three minutes difference... And that was from a month ago. I'm going to catch up to him soon enough." He then turned to look at Lance. "But let's take it easy today, shall we?"

Lance rolled his eyes, "Don't underestimate me. I can take you on right now."

Steven laughed, "We'll see about that." They walked for quiet a distance towards the starting point of their climb. For a moment, they stood there, facing the tall stone wall, before Steven turned to him and asked, "Are you ready?"

Lance stared at him for a moment, "Why are you asking me?"

Steven took off his jacket and tied it around his waist. He took out a roll of cloth and wrapped it around his left hand. "You look a bit clueless..." he teased. "Do you know how this works?"

Lance gave him a curious look, "Of course I do... It's just that... I noticed that you didn't bring any gears with you."

Steven smirked as he wound the cloth around his right hand this time. "Oh, gears?" he laughed. "Come on, Lance, gears are for novices," he said as he threw the roll of cloth at Lance. "In this arena, we don't need gears."

Lance caught the roll, but he was too stupefied to move afterwards. "What do you mean... we don't need gears? Of course we need them. Everybody needs them."

"No, we don't," Steven shook his head, before he began stretching his arms. "There's only one way we need to go, and that is up... Besides, I told you, didn't I? This is where the pro plays," he threw a challenging look at Lance. "Do you think you can handle my playground?"

"This is insane," Lance murmured. "What if you fall?"

Steven thought about it for a moment, before he replied, "Never really thought about it, but... Should you fall, then don't worry, I've got it covered. Now, are you coming or not?"

Lance alternated his gaze between the steep, rocky wall, and Steven for a moment, before he inhaled and said, "Alright, professional, let's see what you've got..."

Steven chuckled, "That's the spirit."

The path upward was rocky and definitely not in favor of them. Steven, however, managed to climb up with relative ease, whereas Lance found difficulty all the way. Still, despite their slow progress upward, Steven was constantly amused by Lance's capability to handle the situation, and Lance was numerously struck with awe at how easy Steven made his way up. As the sun rose higher and higher, the heat struck them. They bodies glistened with sweat, and their muscles were taut with effort. Adrenalines were rushing through their veins as the danger of the height became more and more apparent to them.

It wasn't until the afternoon that they managed to make it to the top. When they reached there, Lance felt pride swelled in him like never before. However, it was soon crushed when he heard Steven said, "Six hours..." Steven murmured as he studied his watch. "Three hours slower than my best record."

"What?" Lance was panting so hard that words barely came out of his mouth. "Are you... Saying?"

Steven turned to him, and even though his clothes were drenched in sweat, he looked as if he wasn't having any difficulty in breathing. "Nah, it's nothing..." he shook his head. "I told you we're going to take this one slow, right? You better catch your breath," Steven offered him a smile. "For a beginner, you did great... I expected you to fall, you know."

Lance said nothing as he tried to regain his breath. The cold wind blew over them. They both gazed down at the world below for a moment, marvelling at the world that stretched on and on until it merged with the sky. Lance felt strangely at peace despite the adrenaline rush he just experienced.

"Here, take it slow," Steven offered Lance his drinking bottle which had been hanging from his waist.

"No, thanks, I brought mine," Lance said. He took his drinking bottle and drank silently for a moment, before he decided to ask. "How the hell did you manage to do it in three hours?"

Steven smiled, "I told you, I'm a professional."

"That's practically impossible," Lance argued.

"It's possible, really," Steven replied. "You just don't believe it."

"How can I believe that you people climb this thing in three hours?" Lance asked as he looked down. "Look at how far up we are!"

Steven nodded, "I understand your disbelief," he said. "But I can show you the real deal if you want..." Steven offered. "That is, if you can handle it."

Lance smirked, "Sure, next weekend?"

"Next weekend, it is," Steven agreed.

They fell silent for a moment as another strong wind came.

When it finally settled, Steven turned to Lance and said, "Race you to the bottom?"

"Oi, oi, do you serious-"

"This is the most fun part of the whole climb," Steven said, and he couldn't conceal the excitement in his voice. "Come on, follow me." And without another word, he leapt off the cliff.

"Crazy son of a bitch..." Lance murmured, before he followed.

X

Aside from their regular workout routine, Lance and Steven shared nothing in common. They were so different in so many way; they trained different types of Pokemon, took interest in different things, and view politics differently. However, when they got together, Steven never ran out of things to say or ask. Lance found his constant pestering to be annoying, at first, however as time goes by, he slowly changed his mind. There was a small part in him that agrees that being with Steven isn't so bad after all.

Lance was busy reading through some reports on tht dull evening when he heard a knock on his door. "Come in." He absently said as his eyes continue to scane through the page.

The door swung open, and he glanced up to see who it was. He was nonetheless surprised to see Volkner standing by the doorway.

"Yo," Volkner said as he closed the door behind him. "It's been a while..." he said as he walked over and sat on the seat across Lance.

Lance returned to the report and asked, "I'm busy..." he told Volkner. "Is this important?"

"Yeah, sort of," Volkner sighed as he folded his arms. "I have been having the worst luck here..." he rubbed his forehead as he continued. "I'm trying to approach Cynthia ever since she broke up with Steven, but... She has been rejecting my advances... And she was quiet rude, you know..."

"Well, you were the one who caused the break-up, of course she's going to hate you," Lance murmured.

"It's been a month or so... And I apologized everyday," Volkner sighed. "Women... Sometimes you just can't tell what they're thinking..."

"She just hates you, that's what," Lance returned. "You should give up on that woman..."

Volkner chuckled, "I wish it's that easy..." he paused for a moment. "You see... I've loved her ever since we met each other... It was love at first sight. I still-"

"Volkner, I couldn't care any less, so please," Lance interrupted. "Get the fuck out of here. I'm busy and I don't have the energy to listen to your crap."

"Well, I thought that a backstory might provide an interesting foreplay," Volkner blantantly admitted. "Turns out I was wrong..."

Lance looked up from his look and shot him a questioning look. "Foreplay? What are you talking about?"

"I haven't get off for some time, and... Cynthia kind of... Upsets me," Volkner smirked. "So I thought I might as well drop by and... Cheer myself up."

"You said we're never going to fuck. Ever. Again." Lance pointed out.

Volkner sighed, "Well," he rose from his seat and walked around the table. He stood before Lance and leaned in to take off Lance's glassess, "I changed my mind..." his voice became a low, sensual whisper as his lips hovered over Lance's. "I did a little research... It'll be fine as long as I use protection, right?"

Lance closed his eyes. It has been far too long since he felt the closeness of someone. "Are you sure about this?"

Volkner kissed him gently on his lips, "Don't worry, I know what to do already..."

"I won't take responsibility if anything happens to you."

"Fair enough," Volkner smirked again, before he leaned foward, and once again kissed Lance on his lips.

The kiss was far much more needy this time as compared to before. Their tongues fiercely interwined as Volkner reached around and grabbed a handful of Lance's hair. Lance wound his arms around Volkner's back, and pulled the blonde closer to him. Excitement quickly tore through Lance, and the passion erupted between them. Their grasps, the kiss, and their breathing became more and more desperate. Silent moans of lust echoed between them as they continue to ravish each other's mouth.

However, suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

And without waiting for Lance's reply, the door swung open.

Lance and Volkner broke their kiss, and they both turned their attention to the newcomer.

The room fell into a deadly awkward silence the moment they realized that Steven was standing there.

"You should've waited for a reply," Volkner said with a smirk.

"I..." Steven struggled for words, but he was apparently too shock to say anything else.

Lance glared at Steven, "Get. Out." He said those two words with such strong emotions that caused fear to run down Steven's spine.

"I'm sorry," Steven quickly said, before he exited the room in a rush.

As soon as the door closed, Volkner turned to him again, "Let's move to your place and continue there..." he playfully suggested.

Lance shook his head, "Forget it." He murmured as he rose and walked out of his room.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Exams are coming! AGAIN! Noooooooooooooooo!  
><strong>

**Part 11**

A thousand thoughts ran through his mind as he attended the Devon Executive meeting that evening. Even though he tried his best to set aside all his worries, they kept coming back again and again. It was a miracle that he managed to went through the srutinizing gaze of the other executives without making a single embarrassing mistake. When the meeting was over, he thought about heading back to the League, however, his head was too muddled with thoughts that he decided to stay in a hotel for the night.

Steven laid down on the hotel bed and closed his eyes. His mind ran back to the scene which he unintentionally walked into in Lance's office.

It was the first time he had ever seen a man-to-man action, and he admitted that he was shocked. If not for the scene he witnessed, he would have never thought that Lance can look so needy and desperate. There were silent pleas in his eyes, and the lust he radiated was so strong that Steven could feel it prickling his skin. It was undeniably strong, dangerous, and yet Steven couldn't help but felt the allure of it all. It was inviting him to get closer, but Steven knew that he couldn't do it.

The world of the homosexuals isn't a place where Steven would like to step into. He likes women, not men. Even though he ended it with Cynthia, that doesn't mean that he gave up on women altogether. No, there's still another woman waiting for him out there, and he intended to find her.

Yet, even so, he found himself unable to forget about the Lance he saw at that moment.

Steven let out a huge sigh, "Dear Arceus... I am _not _gay..."

X

Steven returned to the league the next morning.

Even though he had been staying in one of the best hotel in Rustboro, one can easily tell that he had a restless night, the huge up of coffee he carried gave it away. He headed for him room to grab some work material he had left. He prayed that he won't run into Lance, but he knew too well that Lance would be returning from his morning jog at that time of the day. And so they inevitably met.

The work material that Steven was about to get wasn't that important, to be fairly honest. His true intention was to really see Lance.

Lance was about to enter his room when Steven walked in the grand hall. He looked up and offered Steven a curt nod along with a stiff, "Morning," before he returned his attention to his door.

"Morning," Steven returned. For some reason, the atmosphere wasn't as tense as he thought it would be.

Lance said nothing else and entered his room.

Steven watched as he disappeared, before he inwardly groaned and turned around to walk away.

That didn't go as well as he had expected. He had planned on seeing Lance and probably start a small conversation with him about the other day. He would like to apologize about just barging in, and then invited him for another mountain-climbing weekend with him in Sinnoh. However, when he saw the man, the image of Lance writhing and begging for pleasure flashed across his mind, and he couldn't find his tongue.

"Arceus," he murmured to himself as he walked towards his office. "This can't be happening..."

X

There was an indoor basketball court in the league, and it was empty most of the time. Usually, several league workers would come down to play, maybe did a shot or two, but no game was ever held in that court. It was big, with polished wooden floor and surrounded by bleachers on three of its sides. The lights, when turned on, were ridiculously bright, but the room itself was surrounded by glass, and so there was almost no need to turn on the light.

Lance visits the court every Wednesday morning. He plays alone most of them time. There was something so calming about the sound of his squeaking sneakers, the thumping of the ball, and the sound of it passing through the hoop. It was like a meditation for him.

He had been playing along for the past few years, but recently, a certain silver-haired man started tagging along with him.

Steven plays exceptionally well for someone who claimed that he rarely plays basketball. He knew some nifty tricks, and can score a three point with a single glance at the ring.

On that particular Wednesday morning, Steven arrived at the court earlier that Lance. He picked up a basketball from the nearest corner, before he began practicing his aim. His heart was beating erratically as time ticks by, and when the time of Lance's arrival got closer and closer, he became more and more nervous.

His heart nearly fell when the door of the court opened. He turned to look, and saw Lance standing there.

Lance quirked and eyebrow. "Morning," he greeted, "You're really early today..." he casually commented as he walked over and took the ball from Steven's hands.

"Yes, I... Um... I'm..." Steven swallowed, _Come on, Steven! Pull yourself together! _"I... Find it hard to sleep these days..." he admitted.

"Sleeping problem?" Lance asked as he took the ball and motioned Steven to get ready.

Steven took his stance and fixed his eyes on Lance. "Uh... No, not a sleeping problem... Something's bothering me, that's all..."

Lance charged at him while dribbling the ball. Steven blocked his way, however, Lance gracefully shoulder his way foward, and shoot the ball from the three point range. It painfully missed. Lance cursed, "Can't never get that one right..." he murmured. He then turned to look at Steven, "How do you get it all the time?"

Steven was caught off-guard, but he quickly regained himself and replied, "Luck."

Lance rolled his eyes, "Of course." He picked up the ball again, and the game restarted.

The game was tense, and Lance was relentless. Usually, Steven had no trouble keeping up, and yet on that day, he found it hard to focus. First, there were the disturbing thoughts about Lance that kept on coming back no matter what he did. Steven admitted that it had been weeks since he last engage in any sexual encounter, perhaps those images that flashed across his eyes wre nothing but a reflection of his buried desires? However, if so, then why Lance? Sure, he caught Lance in a pretty awkward situation, but isn't it almost the same as accidently opening gay porn on the internet? Yes, the incident was nothing more than a bad memory that Steven wanted to forget, and yet...

"Ouch," Lance suddenly tripped on his footing and stumbled back towards Steven. He quickly regained himself though, and ran for the ring.

Steven found an opening though, and quickly snatched the ball away. Without the need of dribbling closer to the ring, Steven turned and quickly made the shot. His three point shot didn't miss the ring. It didn't even hit the rim. It went straight through without a hitch.

"Damn it, how do you keep doing that?" Lance frowned as he wiped off the sweat from his chin with the back of his hand.

"Luck," Steven shrugged, before he grabbed the ball and began his assault.

Yet... Why was he overwhelmed with the desire to touch him? Why did he dream of pinning a helpless Lance against the wall last night? Why can't he shake off the urge to grab him and kiss the living daylight out of his lips? Why does his heart longed to dominate him so painfully?

Steven had been pondering on the answers to those questions, but he never found one.

This morning in his shower though, he came up with a plan to answer those questions.

"Another three point?" Lance grumbled. "Call that luck once more, Steve." He challanged.

Steven would have smiled and returned his remark with something witty. However, his insides were churning so badly that he wondered if he can make it through alive.

Lance noticed that something is going on with Steven. He titled his head and asked, "Oi, you look bothered... You feeling good there?"

"I feel fine," Steven sighed as he picked up the basketball and held it in his hand. "I... I just need to ask you something..."

Lance studied him for a moment, before he said, "Well, if you're troubled and need some advices, you're coming to the wrong guy..." he went over to the nearest bleacher and grabbed his drinking bottle. "I'm not a consultant. And I couldn't care any less about your craps."

Steven looked at him and said, "I know..." he smiled lightly, feeling stupid all of a sudden. "I... Just want to know..." his voice trailed off.

"Want to know what?" Lance frowned.

"I want to know if..." Steven hesitated for a moment. He wasn't actually scared of being rejected. Ever since he came up with the idea, he knew that there exists a likely chance that Lance would turn him down. However, what made him hesitate was his lack of insight on how Lance would react.

"If?" Lance urged, sounding really impatient.

_Arceus, please watch over me, _Steven thought, before he finally said, "If you want to go out for dinner with me."

And then the most awkward silence in history fell between them.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: The God of Plot Bunnies is being merciful to me!  
><strong>

**Part 12**

Lance couldn't believe his ears. He thought he heard Steven asking him out on a date a few moments ago, but that's just impossible, isn't it? Steven is a straight man; he dated women, slept with women, and showed not the slightest bit of interest in other men. He's the epitome of heterosexuality, and yet, Lance just heard him say something quiet shocking. Did Steven really ask him out on a dinner date, or is it just his hearing's fault?

"Excuse me?" Lance asked. He needed to know whether he heard it right.

Steven fidgeted with the orange basketball in his hand. He looked rather nervous, but if anything, there was genuine determination in his eyes. "Will you go out for dinner with me?"

And he said it. Lance felt overwhelmed all of a sudden. Why would Steven ask him out like that?

"Dinner as in..." Lance hesitated. "Friendly dinner? Or a dinner date?"

"Uh..." Steven was caught off-guard by that one thing he never really thought through. "Just... Uh... Dinner, you know? I mean... It's just me, and you... And uh... We sort of talk and stuff..." his face heated up. He never felt such lethal awkwardness before. When he asked Cynthia out for dinner, it wasn't this tense. Cynthia was an easy-going, nice woman. She makes others feel comfortable. Unlike Lance.

Lance frowned, before he replied, "No." He walked over and snatched the ball from Steven.

Steven noted, however, that Lance avoided his gaze.

"I'm sorry," Steven said as he watched Lance failed to make another three-point shot. "I didn't mean to say it like that..." he hesitated, "You can call it a dinner date, perhaps..."

Lance looked at him with his piercing gaze, and for the first time, their eyes met. "You're straight." He pointed out.

"Yes, I know... But, uh... I heard many stories... Of people finding out that they're... Different... At a very late age..." he wasn't sure where this conversation was heading to, and so he kept on babbling, "And... it's not that I'm using you or anything... It's just that I... I can't seem to stop thinking about you, and... I was wondering if... Perhaps..."

"Stop," Lance cut him off.

Steven kept his mouth shut and looked up at Lance with eyes filled with anticipation.

Lance sighed, "Listen... When did you last get laid?"

Steven's anticipation turned into bewilderment. "It's not about sex." He said.

"Then what?" Lance folded his arms. "This thing... It starts after you saw me with Volkner, right?"

Steven couldn't reply honestly to that.

Lance smirked, and at that moment, he looked cocky and yet also dangerously alluring. "You saw it... And you've been thinking about it." He murmured in a husky voice that sent shivers down Steven's spine. "You wanted me, right? You want to push me down on your bed, pin my arms above my head, and just fuck the hell out of me... Isn't that what you've been thinking about?"

Steven couldn't reply to that either.

However, Lance read his silence loud and clear.

He shook his head and said, "You want to fuck me." That sounded more like a statement than a question.

"N-No!" Steven denied and quickly looked away. How did it goes wrong so fast?

"You don't have to be shy, you're not the first straight guy to say that to me," he walked over and stood right in front of Steven.

The Hoenn champion didn't budge. He was frozen in his place.

Lance smirked as he held Steven's chin and forced their eyes to meet. "It's nice of you to take me out to dinner first though... But, I'm not the kind of guy who likes to waste time needlessly. If you want to fuck, then let's fuck, right here, right now." He purred seductively. "What do you say?"

"No..." Steven replied as he grabbed Lance's hand and pushed it away. "You don't understand."

"I do," Lance insisted. "You're straight, and yet..." Lance said. "When you saw me with Volkner on that day, you became curious. You were turned on... You like what you saw. You want to try it too... But you're a gentleman. You're the kind of guy that doesn't jump to bed on the first date. So you ask me out for dinner first... Isn't that right?"

Steven held his breath for a moment, thinking of the right answer, and yet he couldn't deny it any longer. He couldn't try to act like the gentleman any longer. And so he took in a deep breath and reply, "Yes...I want you... Yes, I admit that," Steven looked at Lance in the eyes as he said those words. "I dreamt of pinning you against the wall, driving you mad with pleasure, and making you beg for me as if you life depends on it. My name became your prayer, and you were praying for me to hold you as I sent you over the edge..." Steven sounded more confident as compared to before. "Yes, I want you..."

Lance chuckled, "See? That wasn't so hard to admit, was it?"

"... No."

Lance chuckled. He placed one of his hand at the back of Steven's neck, and placed the other on Steven's chest. He leaned in and whispered by his ears, "Tell me... Where do you want it? And when?"

Steven held his breath. He never thought it would turn into something like this.

"Oh, before we do anything though, I think it's only fair if I give you a warning," Lance pulled back and looked at Steven in the eyes. "I'm HIV positive."

Steven, who was speechless enough, became even more speechless than before.

Steven's silence brought an amused smile to Lance's face. "Do you still want me now?"

"I..." Steven managed to form words. "I mean... Uh, how did you..."

Lance shrugged, "I'm a whore," he blatantly admitted. "Things like this... I'm bound to catch one sooner or later."

Steven was confused, "Whore...?"

Lance smirked, he was nonetheless amused by how awkward Steven was acting now. "Oh yes, I slept around," he said as he traced the side of Steven's face wih his hand. He wondered how much more the younger man can take. "With people who I didn't even know... I suck their cocks, and let them cum inside me. I'm a whore.. Do you still want me, Steven?" he inched his body closer and closer. Deep inside, he was prepared to be pushed away.

Steven, however, said nothing and only stare. After a moment, he replied, "Why would you-"

"Stop avoiding my question," Lance warned. "Answer me now... Do you still want me?"

Steven was unprepared for such scenario. He needed more time to think it through, however, Lance's closeness, voice, and warmth were all getting in his head. His touch sent jolts of excitement running down his spine, and he felt something dangerous in him slowly stirred. He wanted it to stop, but just like a stone rolling downhill, there was nothing he could do to stop himself.

And so, without letting himself stop to think for another moment, he grabbed Lance by his t-shirt, and pulled the taller man towards him for a gentle kiss.

The moment Lance felt their lips connecting, he knew that he had gone too far. His only intention was to tease Steven. Lance was sure that this curious straight man would ran for the door as soon as he told him the whole truth about himself. However, the kiss proved that Lance had underestimated Steven, and that he was in for trouble if he didn't end it soon. He felt he urge to push away, and yet there was something about the kiss they share that felt so stunningly good.

Lance wanted more, and without thinking, he pressed his body against Steven, and pulled the shorter man for a deeper kiss.

Steven was surprised, and yet he returned the kiss with double the enthusiasm. It was his first time kissing another man, and yet he felt something he had never felt before. It was as if his control was slowly slipping away from him, and he was terrified. His mind was going blank, everything around him could fall apart, and he wouldn't even care. The passion that erupted between them was so intense that Steven began trembling with unamed emotions. His heart drummed against his chest so madly that he feared it would burst out of his chest.

Their tongue entwined and danced around one another in a fiery dance. They fought for dominance and control that they forgot to let each other breath.

Lance was the first to let out a shameless moan. He was losing the battle for dominance, and yet the thought only served to turn him on. His mind was screaming at him to turn back before it was too late, but Steven's tongue in his was enough to drowned out his common sense. When Steven pulled back to take a breath, however, the voice of reason came back with twice the loudness, and he utilized that chance to unwillingly shoved Steven away.

He took a wary step back and tried to recover from the kiss.

Steven too was left breathless, but there was also shock in his eyes as he stared at Lance.

"I'm sorry..." Lance said after a few moments, his breathing was still heavy as he said those words. "I went too far... I didn't mean for that to happen." He shook his head, "Forget any of that ever happens." And without even meeting Steven's gaze, he turned around and briskly walked away.

Steven said nothing as he watched Lance disappeared out of the court.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Pressure! Expectarions! ARGH!  
><strong>

**Chapter 13**

It wasn't done intentionally. All Lance wanted was to push Steven a little bit, he never actually expected Steven to respond like that.

_Should've just__ told him no, _Lance thought to himself for the hundreth time ever since that day. _I went too far... Dear Arceus, how the fuck did I even think that it's going to be funny? Should've seen this coming... He was so damn serious..._

It has been three days ever since that incident, and they haven't seen each other again. Lance heard that Steven went to Rustboro to help out his father in some kind of errand, and he was secretly relieve of that. He was clueless. What would he say to Steven once they see each other again? He told Steven to pretend that nothing happened, and yet he knew that forgetting isn't going to be easy.

Even he himself was finding it hard to forget.

"Lance, you're late..." the President pointed out the obvious as he entered the meeting room.

Lance quietly sighed, "Yes, apparently, I am."

"This is not the first time you've come late to this inter-regional champion meeting. What's your excuse this time?" the President asked in a tired tone.

"Challenger," Lance replied. "Silver... I'm sure you're familiar with that persistent twat..."

The President nodded, "I see... Well then, please sit down, we're just getting started..."

Lance, for the first time, turned his gaze to his fellow Champions. Everyone were there, and they were looking at him. There were only two seats left; one was next to Steven, and the other was next to Cynthia. Without a single hesitation, he walked over to the seat next to Cynthia. He avoided Steven's gaze as he settled, and the meeting soon started. The fact that Steven was stealing glances at him throughout the meeting did not slip his observation, but Lance acted as if he did not notice.

The meeting, just like every month, wasn't very important to begin with. The president were talking a lot about generals facts and figures that he couldn't care any less about, and the other Champions, save for Steven, only paid very little attention to it as well. The meeting is pointless, and it will always be pointless.

When it finally came to an end an hour later, Lance jumped out of his seat without waiting for anything else to happen. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw that Steven was about to say something to him, but, thankfully, Cynthia got to him before he could say anything else, and Lance was able to slip out without a hitch.

Once outside, however, he found himself greeted with a face he hadn't seen for quiet some time.

"Yo! Lance!" Gold greeted him with an easy smile. "I've been looking for you!"

At the sight of the raven-haired teen, Lance involuntarily smiled. He hated that part of the boy; his smile is always so infectious.

Gold walked over to him and placed a light kiss on his lips.

Lance shot him a look, "What was that for?"

Gold let out a hearty laugh, "You look so tense that I thought you might need it!" he said. "What's troubling you, huh? Why the long face?"

Lance automatically reached up to rubbed the grumpiness out of his face, "Nothing's wrong..." he replied.

Gold quirked an eyebrow, "You're a bad liar, you know that, right?"

Lance rolled his eyes, "What do you want?"

Gold laughed, "Well, I just happen to be in the area, you see... I heard Silver's going to challenge you again, and so I thought I might as well drop by and cheer on him. Where is he anyway? Is he here already?"

"You're too late, it's over," Lance said.

Gold looked surprised, "Really?" and then there was disappointment on his face. "Aw, that sucks... So, who won?"

"Try guessing." Lance urged.

"You?"

"Glad to see that you're still as smart as you used to be," He patted Gold on his head, before he turned and walk away.

Gold caught up to him and walked by his side, "So... How did he take it?"

"Pretty well, compared to several years ago..."

Gold smiled, "That's good," he said. "For a moment, I was worried that he might go around and throw a tantrum."

"Surprisingly, I was expecting the same thing."

Gold chuckled, "I guess we have Lyra to thank for that..."

He glanced at the younger man, and found that he had slipped into some kind of trance. Lance placed his hand on his back, and Gold was quickly snapped back to reality.

"Sorry," he smiled at him, "I didn't mean to..." he couldn't finish his sentence though.

"You're so hopeless..." Lance murmured. "It's been years... It's time for you to move on..."

"Hey, have _you_ moved on from Morty?"

"I did," Lance smirked. "Unlike you, I know when to give up..."

"You give up because you don't want it bad enough." Gold pointed out.

"I give up because he's happier that way, and that's all that matters to me."

Gold was rendered into silence by those words. They walked on for several minutes, before Gold opened his mouth again, "He's happy with her..." he suddenly found his shoes to be interesting to stare at. "He doesn't tell me straightaway, but... You can see it. He smiles when she's around, and he listens to everything she says all the time... He looks at her with those eyes, you know?"

"..."

"I... Don't want to give up, not just yet..." he finally looked at Lance. "Mom taught me that if you want something bad enough, you'll fight for it. And you fight hard enough, you'll finally get it... I live by those words. That's how I get to defeat you."

"Don't gloat on me, kid," Lance frowned as he ruffled the younger's boy hair. "It was a fluke."

Gold grinned, "You wish." The grin quickly fell from his face though, "But... he..." he loudly exhaled, "I don't even know what to do... You're right, if he's happy, I don't have the right to ruin his happiness, and yet..."

"Listen kid," Lance said, "There are plenty of people out there, you just haven't met the right one yet..."

Gold pondered on those words for a moment, before he looked at him and said, It's a pity, isn't it? You're such a great guy, and yet I..." he sighed and shook his head, "If only I can choose the person I have to fall in love with. You're a wonderful guy, Lance..."

The brief relationship they shared several years ago flashed through his mind. He remembered how it all began; both of them fell into a hopeless love. They went to each other for comfort. It was made clear in the beginning that their relationship was purely physical, nothing more than that. Gold broke it off when he realized that he couldn't forget about Silver matter what. And so they parted.

Lance reached over and patted the young boy on the head, "I think..." he started, "If you can choose... You wouldn't choose otherwise."

Gold smiled, "No... Maybe not."

"There you go," Lance said as he walked on ahead. "I'm taking nap. See you next time."

Gold waved at him and said, "See you..."


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: God! I hate school!  
><strong>

**Part 14**

"Have you made up your mind?"

Steven was taken aback when he heard those words coming from her, and yet he knew that he should have expected this. It's been a month since they decided to give each other some time off, and of couse, he had made her wait for too long.

"I have..." that wasn't a lie. He had made up his mind weeks ago. He just haven't found the guts to tell her his decision. _It's now or never, I suppose, _Steven thought, and so he looked at her in the eyes and said, "I'm sorry... I don't think I can do this any longer..."

She was nonetheless surprised. With wide eyes, she stared at him. However, the shock soon disappeared, and she returned to stirring her drink absently.

Silence fell between them. Cynthia said nothing for the longest time, and Steven waited on her to say something. Even though he just did something quiet cruel there, he felt neither remorse nor guilt. On the other hand, he felt quiet relieved. He felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his chest.

"Thank you..." Cynthia finally said. "For everything..." And without another word, she rose from her seat and walked out of the cafe.

X

Just like always, the news about their break up quickly reached the ears of many, and it wasn't long before his friends came to him with consolation gifts. They didn't know the whole story, of course, but they still gave him gifts anyway, just for formality's sake. He heard that Cynthia didn't take their break up too well, but Steven knew her; she's a strong independent woman, and she can definitely recover, even though it may take her some time.

All thoughts of Cynthia and their recent break-up, however, were quickly washed away when Steven found himself trying to deal with a certain frustrating champion.

For the past few days, he had been thinking about Lance most of the time. Steven wanted to see him again, and even though he's not sure of what he's going to say to Lance when they do see each other again, Steven knew that he has to see him no matter what.

And so, on that particular evening, Steven knocked on the door to Lance's office.

"Come in." He heard the man called from the other side of the room.

Steven braced himself for whatever that might happen, and swung the door open. He stepped inside the room and quickly closed the door behind him.

Lance looked up from his work, and froze when he saw Steven standing there.

For what felt to be like hours, they did nothing and stare at each other only.

After a while, Steven spoke up, "It's been a while..." he started the conversation rather awkwardly. "How are you doing?"

"Fine, I'm doing fine," Lance tried hard not to stutter. "So, why are you here? Is there something important that you need to tell me?"

Steven hesitated for a moment, before he honestly replied, "I just want to talk to you..."

"Then leave," Lance said rather coldly. "I have a lot of work to do, and I can't be bothered now."

Steven ignored his words. "I want you to know... that I'm not playing around with you..."

Lance shook his head in frustration as he continued his work.

"I never have this feeling before..." Steven continued. "This feeling of wanting someone... This is entirely new to me. I never felt this way towards Cynthia. I never felt this way towards anybody but you..."

Lance clenched his fist. He rose from his seat and looked at Steven in the eyes, "Get. Out!"

Steven courageously returned his look and continued, "Just one dinner. Just once," he said. "If neither of us like it, then we'll pretend as if nothing ever happened between us."

Lance shook his head, "I don't want to have anything to do with a straight man..."

Steven felt the frustration rising. And so, without even thinking, he said, "Is it because you're scared that you'll fall in love with me?"

Lance cringed, Steven just hit the right spot.

Steven exhaled loudly. He folded his arms and leaned against the door behind him to calm himself down. "I'm sorry... I don't know what kind of past experience you have with straight men, but... Believe me, I'm scared too..."

"Then save us the trouble and walk out now... Please..." there was a desperate hint in his voice.

"Give me a chance..." Steven begged. "Just once... A date, you and me. If you don't like it, then I promise you I'll never bring this up again..."

Lance fell back to his seat. He sighed in defeat, before he murmured out, "Tonight at eight."

Steven was nonetheless surprised, "T-Tonight? We're doing it tonight?"

Lance smirked, "I'm a busy man, I don't have much time... You've got tonight to impress me, that's it."

Steven's mind was quickly whirring fast. There wasn't enough time to prepare for anything extravagant. The restaurants he knew required booking at least one month before. He could take Lance out for something less extravagant, but if he was to make a good impression, then something extravagant is required, right?

Steven mentally cursed, "I'll see you at eight."

"At eight."

X

Lance got out of his bathroom and glanced up at the clock on his bedside table. The digital display showed that it was seven fourty-five, only fifteen minutes left before Steven arrived knocking on his door. He walked over to his wardrobe and began to get dressed. He put on a pair of clean boxers, a black long-sleeved shirt and black trousers.

He never really went out on a date with anyone before. If he wanted to get laid, then he would drop by into the nearest gay bar and began smoothly hitting on some hunks or twinks. When he was chasing after Morty, he never thought of asking the blonde GYM Leader out on a date, and since his relationship with Gold was purely physical, then there was no reason for them to sit down together and share dinner.

To be truthful, he was nervous. He wasn't sure on what to do. What would they be talking about? And where would Steven take him to?

_If I don't like it, then I can just walk away, no big deal, _he recited those thoughts to himself like a mantra, and he felt much calmer. _I didn't say I would stick with it till the end..._

Time flies when one's troubled with thoughts, and before Lance realized it, the clock struck eight already. As if on cue, Lance heard a knock on his door.

He smiled to himself, amused nonetheless by Steven's unbelievably accurate timing. It can't be a coincidence. They guy must have been waiting till the clock struck eight.

He rose from his seat by the fireplace and went over to get the door.

"Hey," Steven quickly greeted him, clearly he was nervous. "Uh... Good evening."

Lance smirked as he glanced at Steven from head to toe. The man was dressed as well in a fine white trousers and dark-blue shirt which was tucked in neatly. He left the first two button of his shirt open, revealing a glimpse of his pale chest.

"Uh... So..." Steven wrung his hand as he tried his best to maintain eye contact, "Are you ready?"

Lance nodded, "Sure..."

He hesitated for a moment, before he finally said, "Then come with me..." he turned around and led the way.

When they stopped before Steven's room, Lance quirked and eyebrow, "Oi, don't tell me..."

Steven's face quickly colored, "I'm sorry, I don't have enough time to prepare for this..." he murmured. "I want this to be good, and... Uh... I looked around for any kind of restaurant which I can book for the night, but... None of them are available in such a short notice, so... I have to do this..." his voice trailed off as his face adopted and even darker shade of red.

Lance chuckled as he folded his arms, "Well, let's see what you've prepared then..."

Steven nodded and opened the door for Lance.

Lance stepped inside and was nonetheless surprised at what he saw.

Steven's room and his room were more or less the same in design. One queen size bed was located by the window to the left, and an antique table and chair by its side, positioned slightly to the corner. On the far right opposite to the door, there was the door which led to the bathroom, and next to it was the wardrobe. The floor was carpeted red, and the wallpaper was of a darker shade of red. Everything about their champion's room oozes with luxury.

However, Lance noticed several changes that Steven had made. On the empty space in the middle of the room, he had placed a dinner table and two chairs, a soft relaxing music was playing, and the light was made much dimmer than usual. On further notice, he found several rose petals scattered about the table, and a several bulbs of lighted candles were placed around the room. The candles were scented, but they weren't as strong as Lance thought they would be. Infact, they were rather oddly soothing.

"Ah..." Lance recognized the music playing softly in the background, "This is... Nagisa, isn't it?" he looked at Steven, "I always like her songs..."

Steven nodded and smiled, "Really? I never thought you're the kind of person who would listen to something like this..."

Lance shrugged, "I have my moments..." he looked around the room one more time, before he said, "So, aren't you going to treat me to dinner?"

"Of course," Steven nodded, and the nervousness returned to him. He led the way to the table, and pulled one of the seats out for Lance.

"Please, don't treat me like a woman," Lance said as he motioned him to quit it.

Steven quickly murmured out, "Sorry."

Once they were settled, Lance smirked and said, "Can't say I'm not surprised..." he said. "This is rather unexpected..."

Steven hesitated, "Uh... What were you expecting?"

"Knowing you, I thought you would try your hardest to find a good reservation in some place fancy," Lance chuckled. "You're kind of stubborn after all..."

Steven blushed, "Well, I did make twenty phone calls this evening..." he admitted. "There's this one sushi restaurant available, but I don't think sushi is a wise choice."

Lance chuckled, the thought of them having their first date over sushi seemed a little bit odd even to him.

"And so you thought that this might be a good idea?" Lance asked.

Steven nodded, "It's better than sushi..."

"Well, I suppose that's true..." Lance smirked. Just then, they heard a knock on the door. Lance shot Steven a questioning look, "Were you expecting someone?"

Steven smiled, "Kind of..."

Before Lance could say anything else, the door cracked open, and a herd of pokemon he recognized as metang flew into the room. For a moment, he wondered what Steven was planning, but then he noticed that these metang were flying around in threes, and in the middle of each, there were various dining items. They settled the items on the table steadily and neatly, as if they had been doing it their whole lives.

A candle was placed in the middle, and was lighted by a flame from Arceus knows where. The appetizer was served before them, and a set of spoons and forks were set by the side with precision that astonished Lance. As soon as everything was done, they quickly rushed out of the room in a single file, without forgetting to close the door behind.

"You surprised me," he let those words slipped out of his mouth. "That was the first time I got my food served by a group of pokemon."

Steven smiled, "I have to ask them for help," he admitted. "Otherwise, I couldn't possibly pull this off..."

Lance glanced down at the appetizer, "So... Did they cook this too?"

Steven blushed, "Well, I had Metagross do the cooking... But she's a good cook, you don't have to worry about how it'll taste."

"Do you always have your pokemon do the cooking?"

"Not always," Steven replied, "Most of the time... But not always..." he blushed again.

Lance couldn't help but laugh.


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: And here's the continuation!  
><strong>

**Part 15**

Throughout the appetizer, main dish, and dessert, everything went smoothly as Steven had planned. For a moment, he was scared that Lance might not like the food that Metagross prepared, but surprisingly, Lance admitted that he wasn't a picky eater, even though he looked like one to Steven.

Dinner was most definitely enjoyable. The food was great, and the conversation went smoothly between them. They talked a lot about themselves – likes, dislikes, habits, hobbies – and in the midst of their conversation, Steven realized that Lance seemed to be much more talkative. It was as if Lance felt comfortable letting himself speak to him, and that knowledge filled Steven with pride.

When the dinner was cleared off the dishes, they were left with a bottle of red wine between them. As soon as the Metang left and the door was closed, Lance looked at Steven in the eyes. Steven returned the look, and for a moment, they remained still.

Finally, Lance smiled, "You really impressed me..." he sipped his red wine, before he continued. "I never thought that you could pull off anything worthwhile in such a short notice, but..." he gestured the whole room, "This is nice... this is really nice..."

Steven felt happiness bubbling up in his chest, "Thank you..."

"You know..." Lance gently swirled his glass, "You confuse me..."

Steven tilted his head, "Confuse you?"

Lance nodded. "Yes, you do..." he smiled, "Ever since the day we first met, I always thought you were the epitome of heterosexuality... You were straight to me in every sense, and the thought that you might be interested in me just never occurred to me... You were very different, it's like we both live in different parallel worlds. Even until now, I can't believe that you're doing this..."

"We're not that different," Steven tried to argue.

"Oh, we are different," Lance smirked. "Very different, in fact... So different that I don't think we have anything in common."

Steven tried to come up with points to counter his statement, but then to his horror, he realized that Lance was right. Even though the spent their evening talking about each other, nothing they talked about really seemed to click.

"Uh... We like the same music..." Steven raised weakly.

"Everybody likes Nagisa," Lance shrugged. "We both train different types of pokemon, we put interest in different things, and our social standings are different too."

"Social standings?"

Lance rolled his eyes, "You're the next leader of the Devon Corporation," he sighed, "Not only that, you're apparently a celebrated geologist, an outstanding researcher, and an very highly-regarded man in Hoenn..."

"You've been investigating me." Steven sounded surprised.

"It's only natural, I know next to nothing about you," Lance murmured, before he continued, "You're a hardworker, you're the kind of guy who has dreams, ambitions, and works towards it... On the other hand, I'm just a dragon trainer," he looked at Steven in the eyes, "One that sleeps around recklessly too... Can't you see how different we are?"

Steven struggled to find the right words to say, "I..." he hesitated, "I never really give it much thought..."

"Well, you should have," Lance told him. "You're a famous guy, you need to know who you're associating yourself with to keep up your good image... Otherwise, you're only going to ruin your own reputation..."

Steven's previous moment of happiness quickly disappeared, and it was soon replace with awkwardness. He never really put much thought into his social standing. He only did what he wanted, and that was it. It's true that he has a reputation to keep, but that doesn't mean that it should stop him from making his own decisions.

"Thank you, for being so considerate," Steven replied, "But... As I've told you before, my feeling for you is genuine. Why would my reputation matters when I'm being true to myself?"

Lance shook his head, "You don't get it, do you? Look at us now... We haven't even done anything serious, and they're already talking about us... They speculate, guess, assume... And then the words spread... Some of them are harmless, but the rest might as well ruin your life. People out there... They don't say it, but they'd rather not have anything to do with gay people and those who associate themselves with gays. They don't like gays; it's a bad influence for their children or something..."

"They legalized gay marriage already," Steven pointed out. "I heard the news a few years back..."

"They legalized it, but that doesn't mean everyone supports it..."

"Most of the public supports it."

"The people that counts doesn't..." Lance bitterly returned.

Steven wondered if he should press on the matter, but seeing the bitter look in Lance's eyes, he decided not to ask anything for now. "But... I still think that you're an amazing person. And after tonight... My opinion stands."

Lance sighed, "Have you been listening? We have nothing in common, we stand on different levels in society, and I don't even know if you're really into me or if you just want to fuck me."

Steven felt his frustration rising for the second time that day, "Why do you have to be so difficult? Can't you just let it flow and see where it ends up? Look, honestly speaking, I don't even know what I want from you. I don't know if I want to fuck you, or kiss you, or both. I don't know anything, okay? All I know is that... I don't want to let you go." He looked at Lance straight in the eyes and said, "I feel as if... If I let you go, then... I'll lose something important."

Lance stared at him for a moment, before he rose from his seat. "Thank you for dinner," he quietly said. "It was nice..."

Steven looked up at him, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that..." he sighed, he never felt so messed up before in his life.

"It's fine..." Lance returned. "You weren't thinking straight... Take some time to think it through properly..."

Steven rubbed his forehead, "Let me... Uh... Walk you back..."

Lance chuckled, "Come on, it's only next door... It's not as if I'm going to get lost."

"No, I know you won't..." Steven said as he stood up. "But... I just want to do it..."

Lance fell silent, but he finally nodded. "Alright..."

The walk was short, and it was filled with a silence so awkward that they both wish something would blow up randomly at that instant. When they reached Lance's door, they stopped and stood facing each other.

"This is it," Lance said. "I'll see you tomorrow..." he unlocked his door and was about to step inside.

However, a hand suddenly grabbed his arm, and turned him around. Before he can register anything, he felt Steven's soft lips on his.

"Goodnight..." Steven whispered by his ear. He then pulled away, smiled at him, and walked back to his room.

Lance stared as he disappeared, unaware of the dumbfounded expression he had on his face.


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: LOL! I thought I'll never finish this! Enjoy!  
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**Part 16**

That night, Steven slept surprisingly well. Even though Lance's words planted the seeds of doubt in his mind, he still can't get over the fact that he aced the date. He was nonetheless pleased with himself. The next morning, he tried his best not to let it show, however, he can't really hide it from one very observant young man.

"You're glowing today," Ruby commented.

Steven looked at the young man, "Really?" he asked, "I apologize. I had a pleasant night," he replied with a smile.

"Pleasant night, huh..." Ruby murmured as he put his elbow on the table and propped his cheek against his palm. For some reason, he looked troubled.

When Ruby called Steven for a meeting in a nearby cafe, he thought that Ruby is only going to discuss about an issue he needs help with. The young man is adventurous, and most of the time, he can't get access to a location he wants to visit. When those times come, he will definitely goes to Steven for help. Something is definitely different about this time though.

"What's wrong?" Steven finally asked. "You look troubled."

Ruby gazed at his drink in silence, before he opened his mouth and said, "I heard Wallace is getting married."

Steven wondered if that's all Ruby wanted to know, "Yes, he is."

Ruby glanced at him, "With who?" he asked.

"Winona, the GYM Leader of Fortree city. I'm sure you know her."

The color quickly drained from Ruby's face, "Yeah... I do."

Steven observed him, "Ruby?" he asked. "You don't look so good."

He shook his head. "It's nothing," he replied, before he turned his gaze onto his laps.

They stayed in silence for a moment, before Steven noticed tears falling out of his eyes. Steven wasn't dense, he quickly connected the dots. Several years back, not long after Ruby defeated him in a fair battle, he and Wallace got close with each other. They share the same passion for battles and contests, and it wasn't surprising that they got along well with each other. Something happened between them one day, and they were never seen with each other again ever since.

Back then, Steven saw Ruby as Wallace's eager student. Now he realized that there was more.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go," Ruby said as he hurriedly rose from his seat.

"Ruby, wait!" Steven grabbed him by the wrist. "Sit down, and tell me what happened."

Ruby did not fight back. He did as he was told, and sat down again, eyes still fixed on his laps.

"So..." Steven studied him again, "What happened between you and Wallace, huh?"

Ruby wiped the tears off his face and laughed, "It's not important. It's... it's all over now." He replied. "There's nothing between us anymore... Nothing at all."

"Ruby," Steven's voice was laced with nothing but genuine concern. "I understand that we're not that close, but... I'm sure you'll feel better once you talk about it with someone else. I won't say anything to Wallace, I promise."

With his teary eyes, he glanced at Steven. Suddenly, he smiled, "This is going to sound stupid." He tried not to let the pain show by smiling, but Steven can still see it in his eyes.

"I won't judge either."

Ruby fixed his gaze at his milkshake again, before he started, "Wallace and I... We dated each other a few years back."

Steven was nonetheless surprised. He has known Wallace for years, and he never knew that Wallace is interested in other men as well. Is he a bisexual? Why did Wallace keep such information from him – his closest friend?

"It was... A great relationship," Ruby continued. "I... I love him, and yet... I'm good enough for him," he said those words with such bitterness that made Steven cringed. "He broke up with me. He said he needs a woman in his life. He wants to have children, a family, most of all, he needs to please his parents. They're... They don't really support gay marriage. They raised quiet the drama when Wallace introduced me as his boyfriend."

Steven remained silent and listened to his story carefully.

"He broke up with me a week after he introduced me to his parents. Apparently, they can't handle the fact that their only son is gay. I was so furious with him. If he loved me, then he should have fought for me... Isn't that how a relationship is supposed to be?" Ruby sighed as he shook his head. "Afterwards, I left... He keeps e-mailing me though, even until now."

"And that's how you know about the marriage?"

Ruby nodded, "He told me about it... Heartless bastard," he sneered. "It was my fault too... I should have seen this coming."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Steven said. "I didn't know that you two used to be so close."

"He tried to keep the relationship a secret..." Ruby replied. "He's not out of the closet yet, and I don't think he'll come out anytime soon."

Steven stirred his tea absently for a moment, "Perhaps... You should talk to him again."

Ruby shook his head, "What's the use? I'm naive... I should have forgotten about him the moment we break up. If only I did just that, then maybe... I would have been laughing at his invitation with my new boyfriend right now."

Steven would have said something, if only he knew what to say. He has never been good with relationship problems.

Ruby loudly exhaled, "Thank you for listening to me though... I do feel a lot better." He smiled at Steven, and even though the pain was still there in his eyes, he looked considerably more at ease.

"No problem, I'm happy to help," Steven returned the smile.

"I have to go now, I promised Sapphire I'll go shopping with her today," Ruby rose from his seat. "Thank you, Steven."

"You're welcome."

Steven watched as Ruby walked out of the cafe.

He then decided that he needs to talk to Wallace about this.

X

"You're going to what?" Lance couldn't believe what he just heard.

Morty nodded happily, "Falkner and I are getting married."

What started out as a simple GYM inspection turned out to be quiet a shocking visit for Lance. Even though Morty and Falkner have been together for years, the thought of them getting married for real doesn't settle quiet well in Lance's mind. Perhaps, a part of Lance still wishes that Morty would get tired of Falkner and returned to him once again. Of course, that's wishful thinking, but that small glint of hope persisted even until that day.

"You're fucking kidding me," Lance murmured.

"No, I'm not," Morty smiled. "We have been... Talking about this for quiet some time. About getting married. Last night, he proposed me." He said as he held up his right hand and showed Lance the ring. No wonder Morty looked so happy ever since Lance stepped into the GYM that morning.

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" Lance asked. "You're both still considerably young, and marriage is a big commitment."

"Hey, if Red and Green can do it, then we're not going to lose," Morty smirked.

"Oi, marriage is not a game," Lance knocked him gently on the head. "Besides, those two have been around each other ever since they were kids. You and Falkner have been together for only a few years."

"Hey, if it's love, it doesn't matter, does it?" Morty asked. "I'm happy with him, and I don't think I can ask for anyone better to spend the rest of my life with. He's everything that I'll ever need. That's a good enough reason, isn't it?"

Lance sighed out, "What's up with young people and marriage these days?"

"Hey, I want you to be my best man." Morty suddenly dropped that one on Lance.

"No," Lance immediately replied.

"Eh? Why?" Morty was nonetheless surprised.

"I don't do speeches," Lance said. "And I don't like weddings."

"Wait, so you're not going to come for our wedding?"

"Obviously not," Lance sighed. "I don't like weddings. Or birthdays. Or any happy occasions. Leave me out of it, please."

"I can't do that," Morty frowned. "You're my best friend, of course you have to be there, and of course you have to be the best man." He insisted.

"Don't push it," Lance told him. "I'm not coming, and that's final."

"Well, then I'll just have to call Steven," Morty shrugged, "I'm sure he can convince you."

Lance suddenly turned to look at him, "Oi, there's nothing between us, I've made that clear, haven't I?"

"Yeah, you have," Morty nodded, "But you're still going to listen to him anyway. You're a sucker for people like Steven, I know you."

"A sucker?" Lance frowned, "Like Steven? What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Please," Morty rolled his eyes, "As if I don't know that you have a thing for straight-but-maybe-not kind of men. Steven definitely falls into that category."

"I don't have a thing for those kind of people," Lance growled.

"Yeah, you do," Morty insisted. "I am one of them. Before I met you, I was still into women, remember? And then before me, there was Green, correct? He used to dig women too."

"Don't tell Red about that," Lance murmured, "It wasn't anything serious. I was in it because it was fun to make the little runt cry whenever I fuck him."

Morty smirked, "Well, you get my point, right? You're into those kind of people."

"It was all a coincidence," Lance folded his arms stubbornly.

"Well see about that," Morty smiled knowingly.

Strangely, at that moment, Lance has made a mental note to prepare a best man speech.


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: Let the cherubs sing!  
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**Part 17**

Steven was about to leave for Sootopolis, and Lance had just returned from Ecruteak when they both met each other again outside the dormitory. For a moment, they both said nothing and stared at each other, but when they tried to say something, they did it at the same time, and quickly fell into silence again.

Steven chuckled at how funny the situation is to him.

Lance shook his head and said, "Are you heading out?" he asked.

Steven nodded, "I'm going to see someone. Where were you?" he returned the question.

"GYM inspection," Lance replied. "I went to four GYMs already this morning... Still four more to go, before I move on to the GYMs in Johto."

Steven offered him a smile, "Sounds like a lot of work."

"Yeah, it is," Lance sighed.

They fell into silence again, and Steven's mind involuntarily went to Ruby. Even though Steven couldn't fully understand Ruby's pain, he can now understand why Lance doesn't want to have anything to do with a straight man. It's not the part where he falls in love which Lance fears, it's the part where Steven chooses someone else over him that he dreaded the most. It's the reality that made Lance hesitate; the reality that, one day, he will have to leave Lance to settle down with another woman, have children, and raise a family just so he can please his parents.

"Well, I'm going inside," Lance said when the silence stretched on for too long. "I'll see you later," he patted Steven on his shoulder, before he made his way onwards the front door.

Steven, however, suddenly grabbed him by his wrist.

Lance turned to look at him. He was mildly surprised by the sudden move.

"Lance, listen..." Steven started as he fixed his gaze at his shoes. "I... I want ou to know that..." he voice weakly trailed off. Suddenly, he couldn't bring himself to say the words that he wanted to say. _'No, not yet...' _Steven scolded himself, _'Not like this.'_

"Oi, what's up with you?"

Steven finally let go of his wrist and shook his head, "No, it's nothing... Forget it."

"Is it something important?"

"No, nothing important," Steven quickly replied. "I'll see you later."

And without another word, he hurriedly walked away.

Lance was left to wonder, _'What was that all about?'_

X

It was late in the afternoon when Steven finally reached Sootopolis GYM. The day was hot and sunny, and he was nonetheless grateful to be able to walk inside the cool GYM. Inside, several young trainers were getting ready to leave, it seems that they have just finished their training for the day. One by one, they walked out of the door, excitedly talking to one another about their plans for later on. When the last of them walked out of the door, Steven approached Wallace.

He was tending to his Milotic when Steven called out his name, "Wallace."

The GYM leader quickly turned around. "Steven! What a surprise!" Wallace said, "Isn't this a bit too early for GYM inspection? I'm not sure I'm ready yet."

"No need to worry, this place is looking good," Steven replied as he glanced around the building. "I trust that you're taking good care of it."

"Of course I am," Wallace replied with a proud smile on his face. "This place has never been in a better condition."

Steven smiled, "I see." He hesitated for a moment, but then decided that it was the best time to bring it up, "Listen... I'm here to talk to you about something."

Wallace looked interested, "Really? What is it then?"

Steven fixed his gaze at his best friend and said, "I met Ruby the other day." At the mention of that name, an unrecognizable emotion flashed through Wallace's eyes. Steven couldn't put a finger on what it was, but it was definitely a sign that he's on the right track. "You do remember him, right?"

Wallace nodded, "Of course I do," he put on a smile on his face. "He's that kid who defeated you years ago, correct? How's he doing?"

Steven sighed, "Wallace, please drop the act. He told me everything about what happened between you and him."

As soon as he said that, Wallace dropped the smile and folded his arms as he turned his gaze towards the floor.

"He's really sad when I confirmed that you're indeed going to get married," Steven continued. "He didn't take the news well."

Once again, Steven saw that emotion flashed through Wallace's eyes again. This time, he finally identified it; it was most definitely guilt. Does Wallace feels guilty for everything he did to Ruby?

Wallace bit his lower lips, "Listen... You don't understand... I..." he shook his head. "It was all... A misunderstanding." He struggled to choke out that word. "I never meant to hurt him like that."

"You don't have to explain anything to me," Steven told him. "I don't really understand why you do the things you did, but I won't question you about it. I'm here just to tell you that perhaps you should talk to him before you marry Winona."

"Talk to him?" Wallace chuckled as he shook his head, "He wouldn't listen to me. I have been trying to contact him for years. I've called him again and again, but he never answers. I went to his home, but he was never there. I tried everything that I could, Steven. Believe me, I tried... He just wouldn't give me a chance to explain."

"... Why?" that question slipped out of Steven's mouth. "Why did you break up with him?"

"Didn't he tell you?"

Steven nodded, "Yes, he told me... And yet, I don't quiet understand. Clearly, you wouldn't introduced him to your parents if you didn't love him. So you have to be in love with him. However, if you are really in love, then why did you break up with him?"

"What I had with Ruby wasn't love... It was just me being young and foolish. That's all."

Steven took his time to think about it. "I see," he finally said. "Thank you, for telling me. I'm apologize if I'm being too curious."

Wallace smiled, "It's alright... Thank you for coming all this way to tell me about Ruby. I really appreciate it."

"... You're welcome."

X

Steven didn't know whether or not Wallace was telling the truth. Even though Wallace's reason sounded genuine, he couldn't shake off the feeling that Wallace was hiding something. He kept thinking about Wallace and Ruby as he returned to the League. As he thought about them, his feet directed him to Lance's door without him knowing. When he realized that he was standing before Lance's door, he suddenly felt considerably upset.

He collected himself and raised his hand to knock on the door.

Lance opened the door moments afterwards. "Oh, it's you." He said the moment he laid his eyes on Steven.

"Yes, it's me," Steven offered him a kind smile. He took his time to study Lance, before he suddenly said, "You know… I've been meaning to ask you something."

Lance folded his arms and leaned against the door. "What is it?"

Steven shakily inhaled, he was too nervous to let the words out, and yet he needs to hear the answer from Lance no matter what. "I want you to be honest with me..." his words were barely a whisper.

Lance frowned, something wasn't right, "Go on." He urged. "I'm listening."

"This may sound crazy, but…" Steven loudly exhaled, "I'm not the kind of person who would approach someone with just lust driving me. Unlike…" he paused, "Unlike _some people _out there, I don't approach someone just for the thrill of it. I am very sincere and serious." He finally dared himself to look at Lance in the eyes, "I want to be with you, because I really like you. I am serious about you."

Lance face betrayed not a single emotion as he said, "How can you be so sure?"

Steven couldn't even form the words to described the emotional turmoil he went through ever since he talked with Ruby the other day. His frustration rose as he turned his gaze onto the floor, "It's just…" he placed his hand on the edge of the dor and gripped it tightly. "Someone like you… I can't possibly… Betray you the way _he_ did."

"You're not making any sense," Lance suddenly reached forward and placed his hands on Steven's shoulder. "Steven, look at me."

Steven did as told.

"Tell me… What happened to you?" Lance asked. "Why are you acting like this?"

Steven felt his chest was about to burst with emotions, but he shook his head and said, "Tell me that this feeling I have for you… Tell me that it's not just me being young and foolish."

"What?" Lance was nonetheless confused, "Young and foolish? Come on, you're a grown-ass man. You're too old for that kind of teen crap."

Suddenly, a flood of relief washed over him, and he quickly laughed, "I'm just so scared…" he said as he wiped the tear forming in the corner of his eyes. "If it's not true, and if it's not real, then… Then how else am I supposed to feel? I don't know anything about love, but… I really like you, I really, really like you. My feelings for you… It's not fake. I don't want it to be fake."

Lance was hesitant, but then he wound his arms around Steven, and pulled him closer towards him. Steven rested his head on Lance's shoulder, and Lance gently rubbed his back. They stayed like that for a moment, and slowly, Steven calmed down.

"Tell me what happened…" Lance suddenly whispered by Steven's ears.

"It's nothing," Steven replied.

"It doesn't look like nothing to me."

"Stop prying."

"Alright."

They fell silent again, and the longer they stayed that way, the more apparent the awkwardness of the situation becomes. Steven then decided to pull away. "I'm sorry, I'm a mess."

Iit's alright." He reached forward and gently rubbed Steven's head. "Still, you surprised me, again. You suddenly knocked on my door and confessed to me like this. I really don't know what to do with you."

Steven looked away, "I… I want you to give me a chance."

Lance's hand trailed down to the side of his face. He forced Steven to look at him in the eyes, "Pardon?"

"Give me a chance," Steven said, even though his voice was shaking, he tried his best to look determined. "I want you to take me seriously. I'm not asking you out on another date. I'm asking you to be mine."

"That's a lot to ask for after a first date, isn't it?" Lance smirked as he gently played with Steven's hair. "Are you sure that you really want me?"

"I do," Steven nodded, "Don't you feel the same way?"

Lance remained silent for a moment, in his mind, he was replaying the conversation he had with Morty earlier. Still, aside from that fact that Steven may or may not be his type, he felt as if it has been decades since he last got involved romantically with someone. He missed the raw emotions, the feeling of being comfortable and protected, as well as the sex, naturally. Still, he can't really imagine getting involved with Steven. Will it really work out?

"I… I won't say I don't, but I won't say I do either…" Lance murmured. "I told you… Us, together… It just doesn't make any sense, does it?"

"It doesn't have to make sense," Steven replied. "It just have to feel right."

Lance smirked, "You're… So fucking smooth, aren't you?"

"I watched a lot of movies."

Lance sighed, "You're so pushy… How can I say 'no' to you?" he whispered as he leaned in for a kiss.

Steven closed his eyes, and eagerly greeted his lips.

"Thank you."


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: Holiday agenda - write yaoi/yuri fanfics.  
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**Part 18**

Surprisingly, nothing much changed between them after they officially become a couple. They still sleep in their respective bedrooms, work out together in the morning, and have their lunch in the presence of one another. Even though nothing much changed on the outside, there are some subtle changes that only Steven can notice. For example, Lance would avoid going in details whenever they speak about his personal life in the past, but ever since they started dating, he doesn't seem to mind all of Steven's questions.

"He turned me down for that bird trainer he called his 'soul mate'," Lance said as they both settled down after an exhausting basketball match. "Until now, I still can't understand why he would choose him over me. I can't even stand that little twat."

Steven chuckled, "And now, Morty's asking you to be his best man?"

"I intend to turn him down," Lance replied.

"He's your best friend, of course you have to be there as his best man," Steven told him. "It's very rude to turn down someone who invited you sincerely to a happy occasion."

Lance gave him a look, "Somehow... I know you're going to say something along those lines." He murmured. "Enough talking about me. What about you, hm?"

"Me?" Steven was mildly surprised, "Well, there was Cynthia before you. But aside from her, there was nobody else."

"That's kind of boring, isn't it?" Lance asked as he leaned in closer towards Steven. "What about crushes? I'm sure you've had several."

Steven shook his head, "I don't really find much people that interesting. Some people do left a certain kind of impression, but none of them really last." He paused as he observed Lance, "You're the first for me."

Lance smirked, "Always so fucking smooth." He murmured as he pulled Steven closer and kissed him on the lips.

One thing that Steven learned about Lance is that he loves to kiss. Whenever they're talking or sitting down, Lance will definitely shortened the distance between them until Steven has no choice but to give him a kiss. That kind of affectionate display is surprisingly sweet, especially coming from someone with a cold exterior like Lance.

"You're surprisingly sweet, you know..." Steven commented as he broke off from Lance, a bit breathless, but still in control of himself. "I never thought you're the kind of guy who likes to kiss."

Lance smirked as he kissed him again, "It's not my fault that I can't get enough of you, is it?"

"And you tell me _I'm _smooth."

Lance chuckled as he rose and grabbed the basketball, "Come on, one more game before shower."

Steven smiled as he accepted the challenge.

X

"So, you have not heard anything else about Team Rocket ever since?" Lance asked as he peered at Falkner over his glasses.

"No," Falkner simply replied. "I don't think we'll hear from them any time soon. Their influence is thinning. It won't be long before they completely disappear."

"What about Giovanni?" Lance raised the question. "Have you any news of him?"

"Nobody can find him."

Lance mind replayed the conversation he had with Gold earlier about Giovanni's whereabouts. It seems that the ex-leader of Team Rocket has decided to settle down near his son, Silver, and try to reconcile with him. Lance doesn't know what's more surprising; the fact that Giovanni's settling down, or he fact that Silver's Giovanni son. It came as a shock when he heard about it, and Lance can only imagine the turmoil in Silver's life at the moment. Nobody else seems to have heard of this news just yet.

It'll be best if they can keep the media and prying noses out of this. Silver's life tough enough now.

Suddenly, Lance heard a knock on the door. "Come in."

Steven swung the door open, and smiled at Lance, "Are you busy?"

"I'm almost done," Lance replied as he took off his glasses, "If you don't mind, just wait for a moment. I'll wrap things up here and then I'll join you."

Steven smiled and nodded, "I'll be waiting for you outside." He said before he closed the door again.

Lance put away his things and said to Falkner, "Well, thank you for coming here today. If you hear anything about Giovanni, let me know immediately."

Falkner nodded, "I will." He paused for a moment, before asking, "Are you going out with him?"

Lance looked at him, "What did Morty tell you?"

Falkner shrugged, "A lot of things. He's quiet concerned that you're getting close with a straight guy."

"Tell him not to worry, I'm not a kid anymore. I know a hopeless case when I see one."

"Then why are you still going out with him?" Falkner asked.

"He's persistently curious. I'm just entertaining his curiosity, that's all."

"Honestly speaking, do you think you have a chance with him?"

"Not a single fucking chance." Lance said as he rose from his seat. "He's a man with good social status and respectable background. Won't be long before he realizes that he's better off with a good woman."

Falkner snorted, "You sounded like a teenage girl with major self-esteem problem."

Lance frowned, "It's not a self-esteem problem, it's reality. The straight guys never stay. We all know that."

"He might be an exception. He doesn't look like the kind of guy who plays around with someone else's feelings for fun."

"I' not taking any chances," Lance murmured. "I fell into a hopeless love once, and I don't want to do it again. Once is enough."

Falkner shook his head as he rose from his seat, "If you keep this up, Morty will keep on blaming himself for the rest of his life."

They both walked together out of the door. Outside, Steven is patiently gazing out at the scenery outside the building. When he heard the door closes, he turned around and smiles at Lance. "Are you done?" Steven asked.

"Yeah," Lance replied as he placed a light kiss on Steven's forehead.

"Well, I'm going back to the GYM now," Falkner said, "I'll see you next time, Lance. Oh," he was about to walk away, but then suddenly stopped, "Morty said, don't forget about the speech." And with that, he turned around and walk away.

"Speech?" Steven asked, "What speech?"

"That's Falkner, Morty's fiance," Lance informed him.

"Oh, the best man speech," Steven smiled. "Now that you mention it, I have to prepare one for Wallace's wedding as well."

"Wallace?" Lance asked. "Who's that?"

"A GYM leader of Hoenn, and also my closest friend," Steven replied. "We've been together for quiet some time. He's getting married soon with another GYM Leader. However..." his voice trailed off and his eyes suddenly looked rather distant.

"However?"

Steven quickly snapped back to reality. He shook his head and said, "It's nothing that I should burden you with."

Lance did not pry, instead, he changed the topic, and they began talking about their plan to go cliff climbing later on the weekend.

X

"Steven, whatever happened to Cynthia?"

The Hoenn champion nearly chocked on the glass of juice which he had been enjoying after dinner with his family. He turned his gaze to his little sister, who is now looking at him with her big, innocent eyes. Glacing around, he noticed that his brother and his parents all looked interested to discuss the topic as well. It has been months since they last saw her, of course they are curious. Cynthia used to come for dinner at least once a month. Her sudden disappearance has undoubtedly raised a question in everyone's mind.

Steven cleared his throat and replied, "We're..." he took his time to formulate words which sounds nice to a nine-year-old. "Not together anymore, Nagisa."

Out of the corner of his eyes, Steven saw his brother frowned.

"What did you do to her?" his brother asked.

"Now, now, Ian," their mother quickly interfered, "Whatever reason Steven has, I'm sure he has a good reason. Right, darling?"

"Yes," Steven nodded, "I have a very good reason."

"But why would you break up with her?" the girl asked as she tilted her head. "Don't you love her?"

Steven nearly chocked again, "What... Makes you say that?"

"Well, you two like to hold hands," Nagisa replied, "And sitting next to each other, and hugging. And doing things together too."

"Such a waste," Ian shook his head, "I always thought that she's a pleasant woman."

Their father nodded, "It's a pity." He agreed.

For a moment, Steven pondered on whether or not to tell them about Lance. Even though they have been together for only a few weeks, Steven somehow felt that he needs to tell them about Lance as soon as possible. Nobody was actually rushing him, but it's not in his nature to keep things away from his family. He feels as if he's keeping a huge secret from them, and it just doesn't settle quiet well in his mind.

"What happened between you two anyway?" Ian asked. "What did you do to upset such a nice woman?"

"We figured out that we have different interests." Steven replied. "We're not suitable for each other anymore."

"Ah, so you two are seeing someone else behind each other's back?" their mother chirped in. "Steven, you are such a bad boy, just like your father."

Their father let out a hearty laugh. "Don't worry, son. If she's the right one, your paths will cross once again."

Steven took in a deep breath, and decided to just go ahead and drop the bomb, "Actually... I'm seeing someone right now."

"Oh, really, so soon?" Ian smirked. "Who's this woman you favor instead of Cynthia, hm? I'm sure she's gorgeous?"

"Steven, sweetheart," their mother sighed. "Please don't go around breaking young woman's heart. It might be fun for a bad boy like you, but please consider how those girls feel."

Steven shook his head, "No, this... person..." he grasped in the dark for the right words to say. "This person... Is..."

All of them leaned in with nothing but genuine interest in their eyes. They all look so innocently hopeful. How will they react when Steven utters the words which he's going to say? Will that hopeful look turn into anguish, disbelief, anger? Will they be upset? Steven didn't know. However, if there's one good thing about not knowing, is that it always pushed Steven to just go for it and find out the answer.

"Is a man."


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: Nineteen part up, several more to go!  
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**Part 19**

"Another happy couple getting married," Lance grumbled in annoyance as he hung up on Green. "What's wrong with people and marriage these days?"

Steven, who had been waiting for Lance to finish talking to Green, turned to look at him and asked, "What's that all about?" he asked.

"The guy who once beat me in a battle," Lance sighed as he laid down his head on the pillow next to Steven. "The kid says he wants me to be his best man. I swear... These people..."

Steven chuckled as he gently stroked Lance's hair, "You're much more popular than I thought. What did you tell him?"

Lance said nothing, and instead wound his arm around Steven and pulled him closer. He closed his eyes and gently kissed him on the lips.

Steven quickly knew what the answer was, "You can't say 'no' to people, can't you?"

"To certain people," Lance admitted. "I wish I could though... That way, I don't have to think up of another speech. I'm not good with them."

"You'll manage," Steven replied as he ran his fingers through Lance's hair. Surprisingly, they're soft and smooth. "You're a better friend than you try to make others believe. Even though you act as if you couldn't care any less, you actually do care about them."

Lance smirked, "Am I that obvious?"

"You're always so obvious to me," Steven smiled gently, before he snuggled closer towards Lance.

Lance smirked, before he kissed Steven on the lips again. "it's getting late," he suddenly said, "I should go back to my room."

Since the moment Lance entered his room to hang out, Steven knows that Lance is going to say those words sooner or later. They have been going out for two months now, but Lance has never slept in his place before. He always abruptly leaves when they start feeling comfortable with one another's presence.

"Stay," Steven said, even though he knows that it's futile to ask.

"I can't do that," Lance replied as he sat up and got off Steven's bed.

"Why?" Steven asked.

Lance paused, "I just don't feel like it," he finally said.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"No, you're not."

"Then?"

When Lance remained silent, Steven reached out for Lance's hand and pulled him back onto the bed. Lance was caught off guard, but he did not struggle as Steven wound his arms around his waist.

"I won't do anything," Steven murmured by his ear. "I just want you to be here."

"You're asking for the impossible," Lance sighed. "Let go of me."

"Not until you promise that you won't be going anywhere."

Lance smirked, "You know... Recently, I realized that you've gotten really clingy," he commented.

Steven shook his head, "You're my boyfriend, it's natural that I ask something like this from you. Besides, don't you think it gets rather lonely at night?"

Lance sighed in defeat as he pushed Steven's arms away and laid down on his side so they're facing each other. "Promise me we won't do anything tonight."

Steven nodded, "I promise."

Lance closed his eyes, "Not even if I ask for it."

"Not even if you ask for it," Steven obediently repeated.

"That's good."

For a moment, Lance stayed still while Steven once again stroked his hair. Somehow, the sensation of his fingers running through Lance's hair sent a comforting feeling running through his veins. He felt as if he could do it for an extended period of time and not get tired of it.

"Lance..." Steven suddenly said his name and stopped stroking his hair.

"Hm?"

Steven hesitated, but he decided that the moment is just right to ask the question, "Do you want to come to my family dinner this weekend?"

Lance's eyes quickly shot open. "What?" he frowned as he propped himself up.

Steven felt bad for ruining the moment, "Yeah, dinner, with my family, and I, of course..." he said. "What do you say?"

Lance stared for a moment, before saying, "Something is definitely off. Are you sick?" He asked as he leaned forward and placed a hand on Steven's forehead.

"Lance, I'm fine," Steven said. "And I'm serious. Will you come for dinner this weekend?"

"You're asking me to drop down there, into your family dinner, as your boyfriend?"

Steven nodded. "Yeah, they have been looking forward to seeing you since I told them about you."

The dumbfounded look on Lance's face was priceless, "You what? When?"

Steven tried to recall, "About a month ago. I told them that you might not be ready yet, but lately, they have been getting more and more persistent."

"You came out to your family already?"

"They would find out sooner or later."

Lance couldn't believe how indifferent Steven seems to be. "And how did they react... When you came out?"

"They were pretty excited." Steven smiled, "Mom and dad can't wait to see you. And when I told them you raise dragons, my sister's eyes sparkle immediately. My brother didn't look so excited though. He said he needs to meet you first before he can approve our relationship."

"Arceus," Lance murmured as he buried his face in his hanf.

Steven placed his hand on Lance's shoulder, "I'm sorry..." he said, "If you're not ready, then I can tell them to wait again."

Lance said nothing for a moment, before he suddenly dared himself to look at Steven again, "You're..." he reached out and gently caressed his face, "So..." he sighed as he abruptly pulled back and got off the bed. "I need some time alone." And without waiting for Steven's reply, he quickly walked out of the room.

Steven was left to wonder if he had just offended Lance in a way he didn't realize.

X

The next morning, Steven was expecting to see Lance waiting for him outside for their early morning jog. However, when he walked out of his room, Lance was nowhere to be found. He waited around for several minutes, but Lance did not show up. And so he decided to hit the swimming pool instead. He realized that he may have said something which offended Lance the other night, but no matter how hard he tried to figure out what it is, he just can't find it.

In the afternoon, he tried to go look for Lance in his office, but he wasn't there when Steven knocked on his door. At the end of the day, his mood became rather foul as he returned to his room.

He was brooding when he heard a knock on the door. When he saw Lance standing there outside, all the frustration quickly drained out of him, and he glowed with happiness as he said, "Lance, it's good to see you again. Where have you been?"

Lance looked a bit troubled as he made eye contact with Steven, "We need to talk." He then pushed Steven inside, and closed the door behind.

"What's wrong?" Steven asked.

Lance sighed, "Sit down."

He was acting edgy, and Steven didn't like it. He did as told, and watched as Lance leaned against the door with a grim look on his face.

"I've been thinking," Lance said as he folded his arms and fixed his gaze at the floor beneath his feet, "About us."

Steven realized that he's not going to like whatever Lance is going to say.

"When we first started this," Lance continued. "I never expect anything much out of you. I don't expect you to get serious with me, and I definitely do not want you to do it. You're a straight man, and... It's an unspoken rule for us; 'Never date a straight man, unless you want to get hurt'. One night stand is fine, dating is not, and getting serious..." Lance paused as he shook his head. "it's one, big, 'no'."

Immediately, the frustration returned to Steven.

"If you want sex, I can give it to you. If you want my affection, I don't mind giving it away," Lance said, "But if you want my commitment..." his voice trailed off, and he did not even bother finishing his sentence.

Steven suddenly rose from his seat and walked over to Lance. "So..." he murmured as he placed his hand on the door next to Lance's head, "You're telling me... That you don't want to get serious with me?"

Lance lifted his gaze from the floor and bravely looked at Steven in the eyes, "No. I can't. I don't want to."

There was an unreadable emotion in Steven's eyes, as well as coldness that sent shiver running down Lance's spine.

Steven chuckled, "You... Do you really think that this is funny?"

Lance said nothing.

"So... My whole confession, my feelings for you... You never consider them seriously," Steven murmured as he glared at Lance. "To you, it was all a joke." He studied Lance for a moment, before he continued, "Is it fun to play around with me like this?"

Guilt struck Lance like never before. Only then did he realize that his fear of getting hurt is actually hurting Steven. "I'm sorry," he uttered the words he rarely said to anyone. It took him all the willpower he has to stop his voice from shaking.

Steven closed his eyes, "How...?" it was he who failed to control his emotions. "How can I make you see? How can I show you that my feelings are honest and real? HOW?" despair engulfed him; he never felt so hopeless in his entire life. When he lost the championship battle against Wallace, when Groudon and Kyogre were wreaking havoc, and when he saw Cynthia cheating on him, he never fell into this kind of despair. Never.

He takes pride in his capability to remain cool and calm even in the most hopeless situation, however, when faced with Lance, he can't help but lose it all.

Steven pulled away from Lance. He took a few steps back and turned away from the dragon master. They remained motionless as Steven tried to sort out his thoughts, and Lance tried to shake off the guilt gnawing his heart.

Finally, Steven sighed out loud and said, "You know what..." he forced a smile on his face as he turned to look at Lance again. "Perhaps, it's just not meant to work out. I won't blame you... It's not your fault. I was too focused on my own feelings that I forgot about yours." He looked away again. "I never ask how you truly feel about me... Perhaps, to you, I'm just an annoying, curious straight man, aren't I?"

"No... Don't put it that way..."

"You're too nice to turn me down," Steven continued despite the hint of plea in Lance's voice. "In the end, this is all my fault. You didn't have to apologize. I'm the one who have to. I'm sorry, for troubling-" his words were abruptly cut-off as Lance suddenly grabbed him by his arm and threw him onto the bed.

Steven landed on his back, surprised by the unexpected turn of event. Before he can even register what's going on, Lance was already straddled on top of him. There was a fierce look in his eyes as he bent down and deeply kissed Steven. The Hoenn champion did not bother fighting back; just like their first kiss, his common sense is washed away by the flame of passion that uncontrollably erupted the moment their lips touched.

Their tongues shamelessly entwined, Steven's hand roamed all over Lance's body, and Lance let out breathless moans that turned Steven on. Despite feeling suffocated, there's something so satisfying about the kiss that made them underestimate the importance of breathing. Lance suddenly pushed himself away from Steven and broke the kiss.

Lance straightened up and avoided Steven's eyes as he tried to catch his breath. Finally, after a few moment, he said, "You're... Definitely going to leave me for a woman. You're going to marry her, and raise a family with her. I'll be left alone. That's how this all will end," Lance murmured weakly as he looked at Steven with eyes that betray no emotion. "You asked me if it's fun to play around with your feelings... That's supposed to be my line. Is it fun to play with me like this?"

"You," Steven grunted as he grabbed Lance's shoulder and pushed him down. He got on top of Lance, and pinned him down by his shoulder, "I never play around!" his anger returned once again, "I never do!"

The intensity of Steven's eyes bore through him, and Lance had never felt so vulnerable in his life.

Steven closed his eyes to calm himself down again. He took a moment, before he opened his eyes and said with a much calmer voice, "Look at you..." his hand caressed the side of Lance's face. "Mortified by your own fear of getting hurt." He paused, before he asked, "Tell me the truth... Do you want me?"

The urged to lie in order to end everything appeared in his mind, but it was quickly washed away by the intense gaze of the man on top of him. Lance couldn't stop the truth from coming out of his mouth, "More than anyone else I've ever met... More than anyone else I'll ever meet."

A smile found its way to Steven's face, "Don't push me away anymore. Hold me. That way, when the time comes for us to part, at least we won't have any regret. The pain... It's inevitable, farewells will always hurt. But... Do you think it's better to live the rest of your life wondering what would have been?"

"... You're so..."

Lance did his best to fight back the tears, but he can't hold it back anymore.

For the first time in many years, he let himself cry.


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: Nah! Last part! Lemon warning!  
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**Part 20**

When Lance opened his eyes the next morning, the first thing he saw was Steven's face. Somewhat shocked, he quickly checked to see if they still have their clothes on. He breathed out in relief when he saw that they're both still dressed. It would have been disastrous if they did have sex last night; he didn't have any condom with him, and he doubted if Steven keeps one of those around. He placed his head back on the pillow, and went through the event that happened last night once again.

The last thing he recalled before losing consciousness is the warmth of Steven's body as he cried himself to sleep. A small part of him died when he tried to imagine how pathetic he must have looked like.

"This is all your fault," Lance whispered to himself as he played with Steven's hair. "Stupid."

He stayed like that for several minutes, contemplating on what happened and what he should do, before Steven's alarm suddenly rang. The silver-haired champion quickly stirred, and reached out to turn off his alarm. When he turned around, he saw Lance, and then he smiled at him. "Morning."

The smile was contagious, "Morning," Lance said as he placed a light kiss on Steven's forehead.

"This isn't so bad," Steven whispered, "Waking up to see you like this."

Lance remained silent as he wound his arms around Steven and pulled him close. Steven's figure is not ideal for Lance to spoon, but as long as Lance can feel his warmth, perhaps the awkwardness of their position isn't going to be such a big deal. Steven seemed to agree as well, for he said nothing and remained motionless.

"You know," Lance suddenly said, "I never have any kind of regret in my life... All the things I did and didn't do, I have no regret at all. Recently though... I haven't been myself. Ever since I got diagnosed with that virus, and ever since they took dragonite away... I started losing it. It feels as if the world is trying to bring me down to my knees. I tried to remain standing, but... It's getting harder day by day. While everyone around me see a future filled with hope, mine just looks... Grim."

Steven took Lance's hand, and held it close to his chest.

"I've come to accept that future though," he continued. "I've come to accept the fact that there's no hope for me. But then you came, and gave me hope." He paused for a moment as he stroked Steven's hair. "I don't want it."

"... But you need it."

Lance nodded, "Yeah... I need it. More than anything else."

"... I told you, didn't I? I don't play around." Steven said. "I don't get into a relationship just because I'm curious. This feeling I have for you... It's not fake. Neither one of us wants it to be fake. So, why do you have to be afraid? This looks real enough to me."

Lance said nothing for a moment, before he lets go of Steven. "Come on, I want to go for a run," Lance said as he climbed out of bed.

Steven smiled when he felt the old Lance returning, "I'll meet you outside in five."

"Any longer than that, I'm leaving you behind."

Steven chuckled as he got off from his bed, "Alright then."

X

Despite Lance's reluctance to come for family dinner, Steven somehow managed to get him to come anyway.

Thankfully for Lance, everything went better than expected. Turns out, Steven's family members are all accepting people. He was warmly welcomed into the family. They asked him a lot of questions, but none of them made Lance feels uncomfortable. It did get a little bit awkward when Steven's father brought up the topic of surrogacy, but other than that, dinner with Steven's family went on just fine.

When they returned to Lance's room back in the league's dorm, the first thing that Lance said was, "You've got a nice family."

Steven smiled as he closed the door behind them, "Thank you."

Lance unbuttoned his shirt, and took it off, "Will you tell them about the STD?"

Steven sat on the edge of Lance's bed, trying his best not too stare for too long at Lance, "In time, I will... But not now."

Lance threw his shirt aside, and involuntarily smirked when he noticed that Steven was acting edgy, "Then when?"

"Soon enough," he replied.

"Do you think they'll be okay with it?"

"I can't tell for sure," Steven admitted. "But they really like you. I'm sure it'll work out."

Lance sighed as he pushed Steven down against the bed and straddled on top of him. He kissed him and whispered, "Your optimism is infectious."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Steven breathlessly asked. The closeness of Lance's bare skin was stirring something dangerous inside of him. He wound his arm around Lance's neck, and pulled him in for a deeper kiss. Just like a dangerous drug, their kiss quickly intoxicated both of them. They groaned and moaned as their hands roamed all over each other. Lance unbuttoned Steven's shirt, and help him get out of it as their lips remained connected.

They broke off the kiss when Lance was about to remove Steven's shirt, "Are you..." he asked a bit breathlessly, "Are you sure about this?"

Steven nodded as he shrugged off his shirt, "What about you?"

Lance smirked as he held Steven and kissed his neck, "Truth be told... I'm scared." He whispered. "I'm scared that something goes wrong, and I'll infect you. This is my first time doing it after getting diagnosed."

"Do you have condom?" Steven asked as his hand traced the ridges on Lance's chest.

Lance nodded, "In the nightstand, top drawer..." he murmured as his kiss got lower and lower. His tongue played around with Steven's left nipple as his hand teased the other one.

Steven moaned when he felt his cock slowly hardening, "Lance..." he whimpered as he felt Lance's other hand gently massaging his cock through the fabric of his trousers.

Lance smirked, before he took off Steven's belt and threw it aside. He kissed him down there as his hands work to open the zipper. He worked with such excruciating slowness that threatened to snap Steven's patience. After what felt like forever, he finally pulled off his trousers. Lance was nonetheless nervous when he pulled down Steven's boxers, it seems that Steven's size is bigger than what he had expected. He didn't let his nervousness show though. Instead, he kissed Steven's cock, and teasingly licked its head.

"Lance," Steven whimpered again. "You're driving me crazy."

"Patience," Lance whispered as he held Steven's cock in his hand and kissed its head. "We're getting to the good part, dear." He smirked, before he took Steven's cock in his mouth.

Steven's hips involuntarily jerked upward the moment he felt the warmth of Lance's mouth. "Agh... Lance..." he moaned as he grabbed Lance's hair. "Stop... I can't... Take it."

Lance did not heed his words as he continued to take every inch of his cock into his mouth. The length and thickness nearly chocked him, but Lance was nonetheless glad when he managed to take it all in. Lance deeply suck as he slowly pulled the cock out of his mouth. The taste of Steven's precum turned him on, and his own cock quickly ached for release. Despite his urgent need to get off, he kept on sucking and kissing Steven's cock, desperate to give Steven the best blowjob ever.

"No! Lance! I'm coming!" Steven cried out as his body tensed.

Lance quickly let go of Steven's cock. "Not yet," he smirked as he wiped off the saliva from the corner of his mouth. "Not just yet."

Steven was nonetheless left breathless, "Lance... You're... So good at this." He murmured as he pulled Lance in for a kiss.

"Sit back and relax," Lance sensually whispered as he pushed Steven down onto the bed. He then turned to grab the condom and lube from the night stand. He kicked off his own trousers and boxer, and then strke his own cock to full hardness as he bent down to lick Steven's balls. When he became hard enough, he put on a condom over his own cock, before putting another one over Steven. "Better safe than sorry."

Steven fought the urge to stare at Lance's cock for too long. He wanted to reach out and touch it, maybe return the favor as well, however, Lance was being dominant at that moment, and there was nothing else he can do but watch. He threw his head back and clenched the blanket when he felt Lance applying lube all over his cock. His mind grew numb as Lance stroke him up and down with a mind-blowing pace.

Lance got on top of Steven when he felt that he was ready. He kneeled and positioned Steven's cock by his rear entrance.

"Kiss me," Steven requested.

Lance smiled as he bent down and complied. Steven grab a hold of his own cock, and directed it towards the entrance. He became hesitant when his tip nudge the puckered hole.

"It's alright," Lance whispered, "I can take it."

"It's going to hurt you."

"At first, yes, it's going to hurt," Lance admitted. "But it'll get better. Trust me."

Lance took in a deep breath as the tip of Steven's cock began to slowly push inside. A burning sensation coursed throughout his body as his hole got stretched wider and wider than ever before. He let out a pained whimper as he buried his face on Steven's chest.

"Lance, are you alright?" Steven sounded worried.

"I'm fine," Lance gasped as he placed both his hand on Steven's shoulder and dug his nails deep into his flesh. "Keep going, please."

Steven's cock dug deeper and deeper inside. Lance cursed quietly in his mind when he realized that he should have stretched his hole first before taking in something so big. It felt like forever before Lance managed to take it all inside, and by that time, he was gasping and writhing uncontrollably.

"Lance..." Steven whispered as he pulled his body closer and kissed the tears forming on the corners of his eyes. "You're so tight."

"Don't move," Lance told him. "Not yet."

Steven obediently waited, even though his cock was aching for him to ravish that hole.

Lance huffed out, before he looked at Steven and said, "I'm sorry... I thought I can take it."

"It's alright," Steven smiled as he reached out and caressed the side of Lance's face. "It's my fault... I'm the one who doesn't know anything here. This is... My first time with another man. I'm sorry."

"You always find a way to blame yourself," Lance sighed as he closed his eyes and tried to adjust himself to the big cock inside of him. "None of this is your fault."

Steven smiled as he took in the beautiful sight before him, "You're so... Beautiful."

Lance chuckled, "Really? You have some lewd definition of beauty then, Steven."

Steven quickly blushed, "Well, I don't mean it like that... I mean, it's true that you do really look..."

"'Sexy'," Lance smirked, "That's the right word."

Steven chuckled, "Well, you know what I mean."

Lance huffed as he tried to move a bit, "You can move now," he quietly whispered when he realized that the discomfort is gone.

"Are you sure?"

Lance nodded, "Go on."

"Tell me if it hurts," Steven said, before he pulled out of Lance a bit, and slid back in as gently as he could. The sensation of being stroked by such tightness and warmth was enough to make him desire for more. He grabbed Lance by his hips, and gradually increased his pace.

Lance let out a lustful moan when he felt Steven's cock grazed against his prostrate. "Steven..." he whined. "Damn it..." he began stroking his own cock as the stimulation got more and more intense. Steven picked up his pace, and he got even faster and rougher as they both came closer to the edge. Their lustful desires were unleashed as their rythmic movement became erratic. Their lustful moans endlessly echoed throughout the room. "Steven!" Lance's climax hit him like a rogue wave of pleasure. His whole body convulsed as sperm spurted out of his cock into the condom. He threw his head back and cried out loudly as he experienced the most intense orgasm ever.

"Lance!" the sound of Lance experiencing such mind-blowing orgasm was enough to send Steven over the edge. He did a few more clumsy thrusts, before he buried himself deep inside Lance, and came hard. He arched his back and surrendered himself to the climax that came crashing down like a tsunami.

"Fuck..." Lance breathlessly moaned. "Steven..."

Steven swallowed, before he reached out, and pulled Lance down to kiss him. "Lance..." his body was still shaking from the intense climax.

They held each other and stayed in that position, with Steven's cock still buried inside Lance's hole. When the effect of their orgasm finally settled, Lance straightened himself up and pulled out Steven's cock. He then took off their condoms, tied them shut, before flinging them into the nearest waste basket.

After that was taken care of, Lance laid down by Steven's side.

"Are you alright?" Steven asked as he gently swept Lance's hair back.

"I'm fine," Lance murmured in reply as he closed his eyes.

"You're so amazing," Steven said as he placed a kiss on Lance's lips. "I love you."

Lance smiled and he took Steven's hand, and held it against his cheek. He hesitated, but then decided to just go ahead and say it, "Thank you... I love you too."

They both remained silent afterwards, and soon, sleep claimed them.

X

Lance gazed at himself in the mirror as he buttoned up his crimson-colored shirt. It was still in the morning, and yet the whole building sounds hectic with preparations. Down there in the hotel's outdoor function area, all the waiters and waitresses were busy preparing for the party, and out there in the hall, Lance could hear Karen making a scene over her hair dryer.

"Here, let me help you with that," Steven said when he noticed that Lance was having trouble with the white tie he was about to wear.

Lance smiled, "Thanks."

When he was done with the tie, he helped Lance get into his black suit, and took a step back. "Beautiful," Steven murmured as lust flashed across his eyes.

Lance took a step forward and kissed him on his lips, "Not now, love."

"We have twenty more minutes," Steven murmured, "Are you sure we don't have enough time for a quickie?"

Lance sighed as he shook his head in defeat, "Come on, we just did it last night," he smirked as he dropped down on his knees and carefully undo Steven's belt. "You're so insatiable today, aren't you?" he kissed Steven's cock, and played with his balls until it got fully erect. He then placed a condom over it, and swallowed his cock in his mouth. He let his cock sink in deeper and deeper, until he managed to swallow it whole.

Steven grabbed Lance by his hair and moaned out in pleasure, "Oh... Lance..."

Lance sucked and licked his cock eagerly while his hands fiddled with his balls.

"Lance, ahh..." Steven shivered when he came close to climaxing. "Lance!" he suddenly pulled Lance's head and thrust his cock deep into his throat. His body convulsed as he shot his load into the condom. When he was done, he panted and gasped due to sheer pleasure.

Lance pulled away, and looked up at Steven, "Are you alright?"

Steven opened his eyes and nodded, "Thank you," he bent down and kissed Lance.

Lance took off the condom and disposed of it properly, "Am I that irresistible?" he asked with a smug look on his face.

Steven smiled, "Yes, you are. You look so sexy in that suit."

"Maybe it's because you have a thing for it?"

"No," he shook his head, "You really do look sexy. Nobody will be able to keep their eyes off you."

"Too bad for them, my eyes will only be looking at you," Lance smirked as he kissed Steven again.

"Hey, I want to return the favor," Steven whispered. "Will you let me?"

Lance smirked, "I want to save it for later. Right now, we have to go."

Steven nodded as he tidied himself up, "Alright, let's go."

X

The wedding was sweet, beautiful, and simply heart-warming. It wasn't anything grand, but the emotions overflowing through the speeches were simply overwhelming. Lance was the first to speak, and he made his speech really, really brief – only a few words of congratulation, and that was it. Afterwards, Morty spoke, followed by Falkner – their speeches were full of emotions that almost everyone there burst into tears.

"I now declare Morty and Falkner, a happily married couple. You may now kiss your beloved one."

Everybody stood up and applauded as they shared their wedding kiss. They were crying and laughing as they clumsily kissed in front of everyone.

Steven and Lance sat side by side as they watched the ceremony ended, and the party started.

"I think I'm done here," Lance said as he rose from his seat.

Steven glanced at Morty and Falkner, who are taking wedding photos with the guests, "Are you sure you're leaving now?"

"My job's here done, isn't it?"

"It wouldn't hurt to stay for the cake."

Lance hesitated, but he sighed in defeat as he sat back down.

Steven chuckled as he took Lance's hand hold it tightly, "You know..." he said, "I want a winter wedding."

Lance nearly chocked on the air that he breathes. They have been together for only six months, it's obviously too early to be talking about getting married. Sure, Steven's family keeps asking about it, but Lance would usually brushed off their question by saying that he hasn't give it much thought. He did give it some thoughts when he had some free time, and even though the idea looks appealing, he doesn't want to rush into it. Steven deserves more time to think about it.

He quickly regained his composure and asked, "Isn't it a bit too early to be talking about that?"

"Well, we're going to do it sooner or later," Steven replied. "I want to hold the ceremony in my hometown. It doesn't have to be anything big. Just a small wedding attended by our closest friends and family members. What do you think?"

Lance realized that he wasn't the only one who has been thinking about getting married, "Yeah... I don't mind that."

Steven couldn't help but smile, "You don't mind the cold?"

"I'll choose the coldness of winter over the heat of summer on any day."

"That's good." Steven said, before he leaned over and placed a light kiss on Lance's cheek. "I love you."

Lance blushed slightly, "Yeah," he tightened his grip on Steven's hand, "I love you too."

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**END**


End file.
